Unexpected Aeolian Buildup Illustrates Low Modern Erosion Along Zhurong Traverse on Mars
Résumé
The erosion rate on Mars has been dwindling throughout its history[1]. The active aeolian abrasion supported by sands is a well-understood
mechanism for modern Mars erosion[2]. Sands under relocation[2], comminution[3], or deactivation[4] can evolve toward depletion, leading to terrains dominated by even weaker erosion. This complementary aspect of Mars surface processes has not been thoroughly investigated in situ beyond early robotic missions[5, 6]. Here, in the anticipated weakly abraded landscape visited by Zhurong, Utopia Planitia, Mars[7], we report the existence of extensive covering over local blocks bearing abraded morphology of ventifacts with unusual features. We suggest a possible pathway for the formation
of the covering, which is supported by our abrasion rate, material cohesion, and brine deliquescence models. The observed covering helps illustrate the characteristics of the weakly abraded landscape on modern Mars.
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