Pingo SubTerranean Aquifer Reconnaissance and Reconstruction
Ice-cored pingos emerge from permafrost and dot the arctic landscape near Tuktoyaktuk. (Photo Credit)
Mars, Ceres, and the Earth have abundant reserves of ground ice. On Earth, ice-cored mounds known as pingos are important indicators of extant and extinct near-surface groundwater systems, hydrogeologic properties, and local climate.
Right: A look at Ibyuk Pingo in Canada as seen from directly above (image credit – Google Earth).
Spacecraft observations of Mars and Ceres have revealed a variety of deca- to kilometer scale hills with morphological similarities to terrestrial pingos in ice-rich environments. Domes observed on Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto also resemble these ice-cored structures.
Left: Cross section of a pingo in the Mackenzie Delta with massive injection ice. (image credit – Lorenz King, JLU Giessen.de)
Pingo STARR will advance human and lander scale geophysical techniques specifically tailored to detect, characterize, and investigate the cryohydrology and genesis of possible pingo-like features on Earth, Mars, and Ceres. This systems-level field campaign will be the most comprehensive to date for any terrestrial pingos, and the first dedicated analysis of pingos from a planetary science perspective. Our science and technology objectives will provide valuable insight into detecting and characterizing ground -ice and -water systems on Mars and Ceres.
Right: A possible pingo candidate on Ceres in perspective.
On Earth, Mars, and Ceres
a) Oblique view of the ~50 m tall Ibyuk Pingo, Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada (image credit – CBC). (b) A look at Ibyuk Pingo in Canada as seen from directly above (image credit – Google Earth). (c) Pingo candidate on Mars (image credit NASA/JPL/UA/MRO/HiRISE). (d) Two pingo candidates on Ceres (image citation NASA/JPL/Dawn)
In Alaska and Canada
The PingoSTARR team will survey with conductivity (a/b), radar (c/d), and magnetotellurics (e/f) to map ice & water below pingos in Alaska and Canada. (a/b) shows the electrical potential created by the capactively-coupled resistivity transmitter. (c/d) shows transmitted and reflected radar waves. (e/f) ground currents from a transient electromagnetic transmitter measured by the receiver loop.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
Colorado School
of Mines
Colorado School
of Mines
Colorado School
of Mines
Planetary Science Institute
Pingo STARR is a four-year (2020-2024) field campaign funded through NASA’s Planetary Science and Technology through Analog Research (PSTAR) program.