A survey of small-scale (<50 m) surface features on the Martian north polar cap using HiRISE

The surface of the Martian north polar cap hosts a wide array of small scale (<50m) features that are uniform in spacing and orientation. By analysing the spacing, orientation, and morphology of these features, we explore possible processes that can form these regular patterns. Using data from the High Resolution Imaging Scientific Experiment (HiRISE), features less than 50 m are characterized and mapped over the entirety of the northern polar cap. A 2D Fast Fourier Transform is used to measure general spacing and orientation tendencies of surface patterns. Of the 559 observations of features found on the cap, we found 248 features that display uniformity in orientation and spacing, which could be consistent with either aeolian-driven or sublimation-driven features. The orientation of smaller features (<10 m) located at the edge of the cap from 40 degrees E - 80 degrees E significantly align with local winds suggesting that they may be aeolian bedforms. We found no features on the cap that matches the properties of modelled sublimation-driven penitentes.