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Lowland (Mars)

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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms

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Definition

The 25 % of the Martian surface north of the dichotomy boundary, roughly coinciding with the northern hemisphere.

Synonyms

Borealis basin (Mars); Northern lowlands (Mars)

Corresponding Stratigraphic Units

Lowlands are partially covered by the Vastitas Borealis Formation, the Medusae Fossae Formation, and the north polar layered deposits.

Description

The northern lowlands are a region on Mars, contrasting the southern, cratered highlands. This region consists of the northern plains and is characterized by a smooth, gently sloping surface. The northern lowlands formed early in Mars’ history, served as a repository both for sediments shed from the adjacent ancient southern highlands and for volcanic flows and deposits. Surface materials have been tectonically deformed and reworked through release of volatiles (Tanaka et al. 2003, 2005).

Morphometry

The northern lowlands are characterized by smooth plains crossed by numerous wrinkle ridges that form a pattern broadly concentric...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA

    Jeffrey C. Andrews-Hanna

Authors
  1. Jeffrey C. Andrews-Hanna
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Correspondence to Jeffrey C. Andrews-Hanna .

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Andrews-Hanna, J.C. (2014). Lowland (Mars). In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_492-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_492-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9213-9

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