Radar-Assisted Mapping of Massive Ice in Western Utopia Planitia, Mars: Degradational Mechanisms and Implications for Surface Evolution

Western Utopia Planitia remains an enigmatic region of Mars. Radar and morphological analyses have framed the area as rich in ground ice, however there exist multiple theories regarding how the ice was emplaced. Here, we combine radar and morphological analyses to characterize the recent history of water ice in western Utopia Planitia. A radar reflective interface found in SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) data in Utopia Planitia is found to correlate with layered mesas 80-110 m thick. Discontinuities in the radar reflective interface relate to degradation of the layered mesas. This work uses the extent of the reflective interface to map the previous extent of the layered mesas, which we believe constitutes the remnants of a large ice sheet formed in the Late Amazonian. The past volume of the ice sheet is to be determined by the SHARAD-assisted mapping. This volume will be related to the recent climate history of western Utopia Planitia.