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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms pp 1–5Cite as

Frost Streak (Mars)

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Definition

Solid H2O or CO2 deposits on Mars formed by aeolian processes.

Synonyms

Frost fan

Category

A type of impact structure

Subtypes

(1) Crater-associated, (2) Polar streak, (3) Spider-associated

Description and Formation

  1. (1)

    Crater-associated frost streak (Fig. 1): Bright streaks composed of seasonal wind transported accumulations CO2 frost/snow, present in the lee of craters in the polar regions of Mars. They appear after the annual cap has formed, and they are surrounded by a less bright cover of the annual cap. The albedo difference is due to a more complete frost cover of the ground within the streaks than in the surrounded cap (Thomas et al. 1979, 1981).

  2. (2)

    Polar frost streaks (Figs. 2 and 3): They are found on the polar layered terrain. Polar frost streaks form by off-pole katabatic drainage winds generated by the broadly domal topography of the layered deposits (Howard 2000). They form when wind velocities are at a maximum, during southern spring and summer. When the...

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References

  • Cutts JA, Blasius KR, Briggs GA, Carr MH, Greeley R, Masursky H (1976) North Polar Region of Mars: imaging results from Viking 2. Science 194:329–337

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  • Hansen CJ, McEwen A and the HiRISE Team (2007) Spring at the South Pole of Mars. AGU Press conference. http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/pdf/agu_press_conf_dec07.pdf

  • Howard AD (2000) The role of eolian processes in forming surface features of the Martian polar layered deposits. Icarus 144:267–288. doi:10.1006/icar.1999.6305

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  • Piqueux S, Byrne S, Richardson MI (2003) Sublimation of Mars’s southern seasonal CO2 ice cap and the formation of spiders. J Geophys Res 108(E8):3–1. doi:10.1029/2002JE002007, CiteID 5084

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  • Rodriguez JAP, Tanaka KL, Langevin Y, Bourke M, Kargel J, Christensen P, Sasaki S (2007) Recent aeolian erosion and deposition in the north polar plateau of Mars. Mars 3:29–41. doi:10.1555/mars.2007.0003

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  • Thomas P, Veverka J, Campos-Marquetti R (1979) Frost streaks in the south polar cap of Mars. J Geophys Res 84(B9):4621–4633. doi:10.1029/JB084iB09p04621

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  • Thomas PC, Veverka J, Lee S, Bloom A (1981) Classification of wind streaks on Mars. Icarus 45:124–153

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Planetary Science Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    Henrik Hargitai

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  1. Henrik Hargitai
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Correspondence to Henrik Hargitai .

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Cite this entry

Hargitai, H. (2014). Frost Streak (Mars). In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_164-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_164-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9213-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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