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Published December 15, 1998 | Published
Journal Article Open

Shape of the northern hemisphere of Mars from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA)

Abstract

Eighteen profiles of ∼N-S-trending topography from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) are used to analyze the shape of Mars' northern hemisphere. MOLA observations show smaller northern hemisphere flattening than previously thought. The hypsometric distribution is narrowly peaked with >20% of the surface lying within 200 m of the mean elevation. Low elevation correlates with low surface roughness, but the elevation and roughness may reflect different mechanisms. Bouguer gravity indicates less variability in crustal thickness and/or lateral density structure than previously expected. The 3.1-km offset between centers of mass and figure along the polar axis results in a pole-to-equator slope at all longitudes. The N-S slope distribution also shows a subtle longitude-dependent variation that may represent the antipodal effect of the formation of Tharsis.

Additional Information

© 1998 by the American Geophysical Union. Received August 3, 1998; revised September 18, 1998; accepted September 23, 1998. This study was supported by the Mars Global Surveyor Project. We acknowledge the engineers who have made these observations possible, and thank W. Kiefer and S. Smrekar for constructive reviews.

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