Three‐dimensional structure and origin of a 1.8 km thick ice dome within Korolev Crater, Mars

Abstract

AbstractKorolev is an 80 km diameter impact crater located at 72.7°N, 164.5°E containing a large domed deposit. Perennial water ice is thought to be currently unstable there; however, using a 3‐D analysis of the dome's internal radar stratigraphy, we estimate that Korolev's central mound contains between 1400 and 3500 km3 of water ice that is up to 1.8 km thick. Furthermore, the stratigraphic structure of this ice dome is strikingly similar to the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) on Planum Boreum, approximately 600 km to the north. Additionally, our stratigraphic analysis suggests that Korolev ice was not previously part of a once larger polar ice sheet but rather it was deposited locally. We conclude that Korolev Crater's ice likely deposited during the same climate regime as Planum Boreum's NPLD, but independently. This implies that the incorporation of circumpolar ice deposits such as Korolev may prove useful in reconstructing a unique Mars polar climate history.