2026-04-28 アリゾナ大学
Silhouetted against the blue sky, a drone carrying a ground-penetrating radar instrument lifts off from Galena Creek Rock Glacier in Wyoming.Jack W. Holt
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.arizona.edu/news/drone-radar-reveals-buried-glaciers-earth-guiding-search-water-mars
- https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025JE009208
ドローン搭載レーダー探査による火星類似氷河の内部構造の解明 Revealing the Internal Structure of Mars-Analog Glaciers From Drone-Based Radar Sounding
Roberto J. Aguilar, John W. Holt, Michael S. Christoffersen, Tyler M. Meng, Stefano Nerozzi
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets Published: 24 March 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JE009208
Abstract
Martian debris-covered glaciers (DCGs) contain large quantities of water ice beneath a protective layer of rock and dust. Properties of the overlying regolith such as density and depth to ice are critical parameters for guiding in situ resource utilization (ISRU) of water and coring missions targeting potential habitats. Englacial debris layers that progressively outcrop at the surface could also provide access to enable shallow sampling of ice age sequences. To assess the capabilities of future drone-based ground-penetrating radar for detecting supraglacial debris thickness and near-surface stratigraphy—properties not resolvable from orbit with the Shallow Radar sounder—we conducted tests over two terrestrial analogs for Martian DCGs. Our platform consists of a DJI Matrice 600 Pro drone and a MALA Geodrone radar operating at a center frequency of 80 MHz. We detected a bulk glacier thickness of up to 28.5 m in Sourdough rock glacier (RG), Alaska, and 48.6 m in Galena Creek RG, Wyoming. We also resolved the supraglacial debris thickness, with a mean thickness of 1.5 m in Sourdough, and in Galena Creek, with a mean thickness of 0.8 m in extensional sections and 1.3 m in compressional sections. Furthermore, we detected layers outcropping at the surface in age sequences within the cirque of Galena Creek RG. We validated the internal reflectors with clutter simulations to discriminate genuine subsurface reflectors from off-nadir surface reflection “clutter.” Finally, we provide recommendations for optimal survey design, including solutions to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and reduce clutter.
Plain Language Summary
Glaciers at the mid-latitudes of Mars contain water ice beneath a layer of rock and dust. Understanding the thickness and properties of this debris layer is important for future missions that may extract water for human use or drill into the ice to study Mars’ past climate and habitability. However, current radar instruments in orbit have not been able to directly detect the boundary between the debris and ice or reveal shallow englacial layers. To explore the capabilities of a drone-based radar system that could detect shallow structures in future missions to Mars, we tested a drone equipped with ground-penetrating radar over debris-covered glaciers, which serve as Earth-based analogs for Martian glaciers. Our system retrieved the total glacier thickness and resolved the debris thickness in two study sites: Sourdough Rock Glacier (RG), Alaska, and Galena Creek RG, Wyoming. Additionally, in the upper section of Galena Creek, the drone radar identified englacial debris layers outcropping the surface, which could provide insights into past climate conditions. To confirm our findings, we ran simulations to discriminate real subsurface features from reflections caused by nearby surface features. We also provide recommendations to enhance data quality in future drone-radar survey mapping shallow ice.
