Publication Date:
2019-07-17
Description:
The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, in a highly elliptical polar orbit about Mars, obtained vector magnetic field measurements just above the surface of Mars (altitudes 〉 100 kilometers). Crustal magnetization, largely confined to the most ancient, heavily cratered Mars highlands, is frequently organized in east-west trending linear features, the largest of which extends over 2000 km. A representative set of survey passes are modeled using uniformly magnetized thin plates and a generalized inverse methodology. Crustal remanent magnetization exceeds that deduced for the largest terrestrial magnetic anomalies by more than an order of magnitude. Groups of quasi-parallel linear features of alternating magnetic polarity are found. They are reminiscent of similar magnetic features associated with sea floor spreading and crustal genesis on Earth but with a much larger spatial scale.
Keywords:
Lunar and Planetary Science and Exploration
Type:
Jun 01, 1999 - Jun 02, 1999; Boston, MA; United States
Format:
text
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