Master's Students

Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) are dynamic, low-albedo, slope-parallel surface features that presently form on Mars along steep hillslopes. RSL display recurring seasonal dynamics, as they typically ppear annually during late Martian spring, progressively grow during summer, and subsequently fade as summer ends. RSL formation mechanisms remain under debate, with proposed mechanisms involving either water or brines ('Wet theories') vs. dry granular flows within a surficial dust layer ('Dry theories'). To distinguish plausible RSL mechanisms, this study examined morphologic and topographic proxies for rock weathering intensity on adjacent RSL vs. no-RSL hillslopes.

To test for variability in rock weathering intensity, HiRISE 0.25 cm/pixel images as well as HiRISE and CTX Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) were used. The possible involvement of water (or brine) in RSL formation on present-day Mars has far-reaching implications for the ongoing search for extraterrestrial life as well as for planning of human exploration on Mars