Planetary Group Seminar: THE MARTIAN CRYOSPHERE AND THE AMAZONIAN GLACIAL PARADIGM (S. van Gasselt)

Recent surface processes on Mars are dominated by aeolian and ice-related activity controlled by seasonal atmospheric cycles. For the Martian past, it has become widely accepted that cyclic changes in the planet's orbital configuration has been causing changes on much larger temporal and regional scales leading to re-distribution of polar ices and deposition of ice-rich so-called mantling deposits. While some observational evidence indeed points towards links between extensive mid-latitude glaciation and climate cycles on Mars, questions related to the origin of ice remain unanswered. In this talk, some of these links based on geomorphic observations are discussed.