Mars Express/MARSIS maps of Martian hemispheres
Date: 05 February 2012
Satellite: Mars Express
Copyright: Figure courtesy of J. Mouginot et al.
Maps of the Martian northern (A, C) and southern (B) hemisphere, from 30°S to the pole, displayed in polar stereographic projection. The blue-red colours represent the surface dielectric values measured by MARSIS and interpolated by spherical harmonics of order 8. The base map is a Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) shaded-relief image. Low values (blue) are best explained by low density materials and/or presence of ice, while high values (red) indicate the presence of higher density volcanic materials. The contour-line of 10% Water Equivalent Hydrogen (WEH) in the shallow subsurface and the current theoretical stability limit of ground ice are overlaid onto the MARSIS map.
For further details see Mouginot, J., et al., "Dielectric map of the Martian northern hemisphere and the nature of plain filling materials", 2012, Geophysical Research Letters, 39, L02202. DOI:10.1029/2011GL050286
