Using SHARAD radar soundings to evaluate the origin of martian gullies and pingos

Gullies are some of the geologically youngest features on Mars (< 10 Myr), and their morphology, defined normally by alcove-channel-aprons, led instantly to the hypothesis of formation by the action of fluid water. Hence, gullies might offer an opportunity to constrain the recent history of water on the planet. Different models propose a variety of mechanisms to produce the liquid, with sources generally falling into either surficial (mantling) deposits or ground water/ice. The SHARAD sounding radar aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, with a ~10 m subsurface vertical resolution, may have a strong role to play in testing the water hypothesis for the origin of gullies and in characterizing the source of the fluid. We have surveyed radar data for nearly 50 gullies, which occur predominantly at mid-latitudes on both hemispheres of Mars. In most of these cases, strong subsurface reflectors are not observed. In the few cases where strong subsurface reflections are observed, they possibly relate to volcanic units (e.g. Amazonis and Arcadia Planitiae). Weak, near-surface (< 200 m) reflectors appear to be present at some but not all gullies. We are also examining another type of feature postulated to arise from subsurface water/ice activity: pingos. These are nearly circular mounds hundreds of meters across and tens of meters high that are characterized by fractures or collapsed pits on their crests. On Earth, pressurization at depth leads to injection and subsequent freezing of water into the shallow subsurface. The uplifted layer of permafrost cracks as the mound grows and collapse pits form over time due to ice loss. As in the case of gullies, weak shallow subsurface reflections are present in some of the pingo occurrences. Up to this point, however, our limited survey of gullies and pingos is not supportive of shallow aquifers, as the high dielectric constant of liquid water would produce strong reflections, according to simple propagation models. The weak reflections observed are more consistent with variations in lithic compositions and perhaps an ice component. Interpretation of reflections is non-unique because radar is susceptible to changes in dielectric properties that are not due exclusively to the presence of water/ice. The most robust inferences will be derived from the analysis of datasets from multiple remote sensing techniques and geologic settings. This limited survey represents our initial effort in utilizing SHARAD data to address the question on the origin of gullies and pingos, as radar coverage of these small features is still growing.