Abstract
Arising from: J. W. Head et al. Nature 434, 346–351 (2005); Head et al. reply.
Head et al.1 interpret spectacular images from the Mars Express high-resolution stereo camera as evidence of geologically recent rock glaciers in Tharsis and of a piedmont (‘hourglass’) glacier at the base of a 3-km-high massif east of Hellas. They attribute growth of the low-latitude glaciers to snowfall during periods of increased spin-axis obliquity. The age of the hourglass glacier, considered to be inactive and slowly shrinking beneath a debris cover in the absence of modern snowfall, is estimated to be more than 40 Myr. Although we agree that the maximum glacier extent was climatically controlled, we find evidence in the images to support local augmentation of accumulation from snowfall through a mechanism that does not require climate change on Mars.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Head, J. W. et al. Nature 434, 346–351 (2005).
Garlick, G. D. Geol. Soc. Am. Cordilleran Section abstr. 20, 162 (1988).
Sharp, R. P. J. Geophys. Res. 78, 4073–4083 (1973).
Luchitta, B. K. Icarus 45, 264–303 (1981).
Komatsu, G. et al. Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXI abstr. 1434 (CD-ROM) (Lunar and Planetary House, Houston, 2000).
Kargel, J. Mars — A Warmer, Wetter Planet (Springer–Praxis, Chichester, UK, 2004).
Montgomery, D. R. & Gillespie, A. Geology 33, 625–628 (2005).
Malin, M. C. & Edgett, K. S. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 23429–23570 (2001).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gillespie, A., Montgomery, D. & Mushkin, A. Are there active glaciers on Mars?. Nature 438, E9–E10 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04357
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04357
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.