COLOR AND ALBEDO OF THE SOUTH POLAR LAYERED DEPOSITS ON MARS

Five color/albedo units, including polar frost, have been recognized and mapped in the southern layered deposits on Mars. The layered deposits appear to be mantled by red dust, except where eolian stripping has exposed the underlying bedrock. Frost and bare ground are mixed below the resolution of the images in many areas adjacent to the polar cap, some of which appear to be younger than the surrounding layered terrain. Dark material has been deposited in topographic depressions in much of the south polar region, including the layered deposits. The available observational data suggest that the layered deposits are composed of bright dust, ice, and a small amount of dark material. If the dark material is sand, a periodic change in polar winds seems required in order to transport the sand poleward into the layered terrain. -from Authors