Quantitative Constraints on Surface Erosion via Admittance Localization for Arabia

Introduction: Arabia Terra, with an area of ~1x10 km [1] centered at (25E, 5N), is an anomalous region along the Martian dichotomy. Traditionally considered part of the ancient southern highlands, Arabia Terra is a transitional province between the southern highlands and northern lowlands in both topography [2] (Fig. 1) and crustal thickness [3]. While the geological processes leading to the formation of the region have not been clearly identified [2,3], Arabia Terra contains numerous morphological indicators suggestive of surface erosion, including isolated mesas interpreted as erosional inliers and partially degraded craters [1]. While surface modification has been suggested for the entirety of the highlands [4], the anomalous nature of Arabia and its geomorphology may indicate preferential modification of the region. The amount of erosion may have generated a significant volume of sediment, possibly contributing to the resurfacing of the northern lowlands.