Project description
Fingerprints of wet-based glaciation on Mars
There is evidence that liquid water sculpted the surface of Mars billions of years ago. In a transient period, liquid water stability regions would have switched into warmer regions, and water would have accumulated under the growing ice masses, providing a stable environment for possible life forms. On Mars, however, geological evidence for this transient period is missing. The EU-funded MGFR project intends to revisit this idea by adapting the physical framework describing terrestrial glacial hydrology to Mars. The project aims to demonstrate that the fingerprints of wet-based glaciation on Mars may be fundamentally different from those on Earth, raising the possibility of a water stability period under ancient Martian ice sheets, where life could also have existed.
Objective
Thousands of valley networks incise the Martian southern hemisphere, evidence that liquid water sculpted the Martian surface billions of years ago. This scenario contrasts starkly with the much colder and drier planet that Mars is nowadays, with frozen water accumulated on the polar caps and hundreds of mid-latitude glacial deposits, all frozen to the ground. In transit between these two climate scenarios, liquid water stability regions would have shifted to warmer, high pressure regions, and water would have accumulated beneath the growing ice masses, providing a stable environment for possible ancient life forms. Geological evidence for this transient period, however, is notoriously missing on Mars. Whereas the motion of glacial masses lubricated by subglacial meltwater (wet-based) produces arresting landscapes showing extensive linear substrate scouring on Earth, similar large-scale linear features are missing on Mars, leading to the historical interpretation that Martian ice masses were always frozen to the ground.
The project presented here aims to revisit this idea adapting the physical framework describing terrestrial glacial hydrology to Mars, to show that the lower Martian surface gravity affects the dynamics of wet-based glaciers by favoring the emplacement of efficient meltwater subglacial drainage conduits, limiting ice sliding velocity, and producing different erosional fingerprints. Using mathematical models, analogue experiments, and geomorphological comparisons between Martian and terrestrial landforms, my objective is to show that the fingerprints of wet-based glaciation on Mars may be fundamentally different from those on Earth, challenging the current view and raising the possibility of a period of water stability under ancient Martian ice sheets. This project will help guide the search for ancient environments on Mars where water would have been stable, and where life could have existed shielded from the surface for extended periods of time.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences physical geography glaciology glacial geology
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences hydrology
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences planets
- natural sciences mathematics applied mathematics mathematical model
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75794 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.