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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms pp 2011–2012Cite as

Softened Terrain (Mars)

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Definition

Terrain displaying rounded and subdued topography.

Subtypes

“Softened terrain” may refer to (Kreslavsky et al. 2008):

  1. (1)

    The soft appearance of topographic features at high latitudes on Mars, caused by smoothing of topography with a characteristic vertical scale on the order of several meter(s). Terrain softening affects all types of landforms, but it is particularly evident on softened craters (Fig. 1). It is characterized with broad slope inflections and convex slope segments (Squyres et al. 1992, p. 543).

  2. (2)

    Latitude-dependent trends in crater depth, concentric crater infill, etc., related to creep of a hundreds-of-meters-thick layer (lineated valley fill).

Softened Terrain (Mars), Fig. 1
figure 19141 figure 19141

Softened craters at 33°N 47°E. Mosaic of CTX images B01_009996_2130_XN_33N312W (NASA/JPL/MSSS)

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References

  • Jankowski DG, Squyres SW (1992) The topography of impact craters in “softened” terrain on Mars. Icarus 100(1):26–39

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  • Kreslavsky MA, Head J, Marchant DR (2008) Periods of active permafrost layer formation during the geological history of Mars: implications for circum-polar and mid-latitude surface processes. Planet Space Sci 56:289–302

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  • Soderblom LA, Kreidler TJ, Masursky H (1973) Latitudinal distribution of a debris mantle on the Martian surface. J Geophys Res 78:4117–4122

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  • Squyres SW, Carr MH (1986) Geomorphic evidence for the distribution of ground ice on Mars. Science 231:249–252

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  • Squyres SW, Clifford SM, Kuzmin RO, Zimbelman JR, Costard FM (1992) Ice in the Martian regolith. In: Kieffer HH (ed) Mars. University of Arizona Press, Arizona, 1498 pp

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NASA Ames Research Center/NPP, 239-20, 94035, Moffett Field, CA, USA

    Henrik Hargitai

  2. Konkoly Thege Miklos Astronomical Institute, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    Ákos Kereszturi

Authors
  1. Henrik Hargitai
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  2. Ákos Kereszturi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henrik Hargitai .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. NASA Ames Research Center/NPP, Moffett Field, CA, USA

    Henrik Hargitai

  2. Konkoly Thege Miklos Astronomical Institute, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    Ákos Kereszturi

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Hargitai, H., Kereszturi, Á. (2015). Softened Terrain (Mars). In: Hargitai, H., Kereszturi, Á. (eds) Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_587

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