In the post below I discussed theories that there could be current glaciers or relict ice from former glaciers in near equatorial regions in Tharsis, Mars:
Re: Current glaciers in Tharsis?
Posted by Robert Clark (68.81.141.219) on 12/6/2002 12:05:23 PM
http://www.habitablezone.com/space/messages/27425.html
A supporting piece of evidence was the observations of Peter Mouginis-Mark of channels in Tharsis in geologically recent times:
Title: Recent Water Release in the Tharsis Region of Mars
Authors: Mouginis-Mark, P. J.
Journal: Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, volume 20, page 727, (1989)
"The fluvial channels identified here demonstrate that melt water release took place in isolated areas within northwestern Tharsis over a very extended period of martian history, and includes episodes that post-date the emplacement of some of the youngest lava flows on the planet. While the origin and physical setting of the water remains unclear, these observations lend additional support to three popular views of the volatile history of Mars: 1) that ice lenses may have been preserved for extended periods at shallow depth over much of Mars, including the near-equatorial latitudes; 2) that _in certain very specific localities_ Mars may have been a wet planet until geologically recent times; and 3) that local igneous activity most likely served as a catalyst for melt water release at the surface."
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?1989LPI....20..727M
[full text]
This was based on the earlier Viking images which could not constrain ages more than a few million years.
I found a Mars Global Surveyor image of Tharsis that from the apparent youthfulness of the surface may indicate such channels are still currently being formed:
Sample Tharsis plain
http://ida.wr.usgs.gov/html/e02005/e0200557.html
Note that while there are some craters in the image, frequently the channels seem to cut into the craters suggesting they postdate the origin of the craters.
If there is near surface ice in this region, since the area was volcanically active and likely continues to be, some of these craters may actually be maars, or tuff rings, which are formed from volcanic/water interaction not meteorite impact.
Bob Clark
Current channels in Tharsis, Mars?
