Assessing the role of clay and salts on the origin of MARSIS basal bright reflections

Article

Mattei, Elisabetta, Pettinelli, Elena, Lauro, Sebastian Emanue, Stillman, David E., Cosciotti, Barbara, Marinangeli, Lucia, Tangari, Anna Chiara, Soldovieri, Francesco, Orosei, Roberto and Caprarelli, Graziella. 2022. "Assessing the role of clay and salts on the origin of MARSIS basal bright reflections." Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117370

Article Title	Assessing the role of clay and salts on the origin of MARSIS basal bright reflections
ERA Journal ID	1869
Article Category	Article
Authors	Mattei, Elisabetta, Pettinelli, Elena, Lauro, Sebastian Emanue, Stillman, David E., Cosciotti, Barbara, Marinangeli, Lucia, Tangari, Anna Chiara, Soldovieri, Francesco, Orosei, Roberto and Caprarelli, Graziella
Journal Title	Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Journal Citation	579
Article Number	117370
Number of Pages	11
Year	2022
Publisher	Elsevier
Place of Publication	Netherlands
ISSN	0012-821X
	1385-013X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117370
Web Address (URL)	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X22000061
Abstract	Anomalously bright basal reflections detected by MARSIS at Ultimi Scopuli have been interpreted to indicate the presence of water-saturated materials or ponded liquid water at the base of the South Polar Layered Deposits (SPLD). Because conventional models assume basal temperatures (≤200 K) much lower than the melting point of water, this interpretation has been questioned and other explanations for the source of the bright basal reflections have been proposed, involving clay, hydrated salts, and saline ices. Combining previous published data, simulations, and new laboratory measurements, we demonstrate that the dielectric properties of these materials do not generate strong basal reflections at MARSIS frequencies and Martian temperatures. Plausible candidates remain perchlorates and chlorides brines that exhibit a strong dielectric response at much lower temperatures than other materials. This explanation might require that metastability could be maintained for a long period of time on a geological scale.
Keywords	brines; MARSIS; bright radar reflections; permittivity; clay; salts
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020	3705. Geology
Public Notes	File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author.
Byline Affiliations	Third University of Rome, Italy
	Southwest Research Institute, United States
	D'Annunzio University, Italy
	National Research Council, Italy
	National Institute for Astrophysics, Italy
	Centre for Astrophysics (Research)
	Centre for Astrophysics

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