HR: 0800h
AN: P11A-0944 [Abstracts]
TI: Vertical Extrapolation of Mars Magnetic Potentials
AU: * Jurdy, D M
EM: donna@earth.northwestern.edu
AF: Department of Geological Sciences,
Northwestern University, 1850 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208-2150
United States
AU: Stefanick, M
EM: mike@earth.northwestern.edu
AF: Department of Geological Sciences,
Northwestern University, 1850 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208-2150
United States
AB:
Mars Global Surveyor measured the most strongly magnetized crust in the heavily-cratered southern
hemisphere of Mars. Our analysis concentrates on the magnetic lineations or patterns centered near latitude $40^\circ$S,
longitude $180^\circ$W, with a range of values $\pm 40^\circ$, using a rotated Cartesian coordinate system. Using Fourier
transforms the magnetic field components at satellite mapping altitude can be vertically extrapolated downward to
aerbobraking altitudes and the results are in excellent agreement with measurements at $\sim$100 km and fill in data gaps. We
also construct scalar and vector potentials and a streamline function which provide a more succinct and smoother
representation of the field. A model constructed with just 8 vertical dipoles accounts for 80% of the variance of the scalar
potential at 400 km over the region analyzed, but 14 dipoles can account for only 64% of the variance at 100 km. More than
20 dipoles are required to model the surface field, and the fit is not as good. At any altitude, as more centers are
included they begin to overlap, and the improvement in fit slows and then worsens. No obvious relation of the dipole
locations and surface geology is apparent.
The magnetic field can be represented as the gradient of the scalar potential or the curl of the vector potential. The
vector potential can be chosen so that the vertical component is identically zero, and the horizontal components can be
represented as the curl of a streamline function. We reduce the vector potential to a two component horizontal field which
can be plotted on a map as a set of arrows. The observed vector potential field shows abrupt changes in direction over the
analyzed region, suggesting either different stages of magnetization or local demagnetization. In the southern hemisphere
region analyzed, the strongest values of the magnetization lie adjacent to ancient multi-ring basins, notably Sirenum, though
not actually within its rings.
DE: 5420 Impact phenomena (includes cratering)
DE: 5440 Magnetic fields and magnetism
DE: 5480 Volcanism (8450)
DE: 6225 Mars
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting