---
type: source
title: "Near-Surface Ice in Amazonis Planitia at Centimeter Depths — JGR Planets 2025"
author: "Luzzi et al. (Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets)"
url: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JE008724
date: 2025-01-01
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: processed
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-05-02
priority: medium
tags: [mars, water-ice, ISRU, Amazonis-Planitia, near-surface, settlement, northern-hemisphere, Elysium]
intake_tier: research-task
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (2025). Authors: Luzzi et al.

**Core finding:** Near-surface water ice beneath thermal contraction polygons in northern Amazonis Planitia is estimated to be on the order of **tens of centimeters** from the surface — sufficiently shallow to be accessible for ISRU.

**Method:** Geomorphological analysis of candidate landing sites in northern Amazonis Planitia using thermal contraction polygon analysis, THEMIS, MOLA, and CTX imaging. Thermal contraction polygons form when subsurface ice expands and contracts with temperature — their presence indicates near-surface ice.

**Location specifics:**
- Northern Amazonis Planitia — low-elevation plains region adjacent to Elysium Mons to the east and Olympus Mons/Tharsis to the west
- This is a NORTHERN HEMISPHERE mid-latitude region (~20-40°N)
- Landing site candidates identified for potential human missions based on ice accessibility + relatively flat terrain

**Depth estimate: tens of centimeters** — this means the ice is potentially accessible with a shallow drill or even a scraper in some locations. Compare to the poles where ice is at the surface (but inaccessible for other reasons) or mid-latitude glaciers buried under ~5-10m of regolith.

**Strategic significance:**
- Northern Amazonis Planitia is adjacent to Elysium Mons (which has a newly identified lava tube skylight, 2025 IOPscience paper)
- If the skylight is near the Amazonis Planitia margin, this could provide BOTH radiation-shielded habitation (lava tube) AND shallow ISRU-accessible ice (tens of cm depth) within the same landing region
- The exact geographic relationship between the skylight location and the ice-rich terrain requires further analysis

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** This is the most important ISRU-relevant ice finding I've encountered. "Tens of centimeters" depth is an extraordinary claim — it means ice is accessible with minimal excavation. If confirmed, it dramatically improves the settlement bootstrapping timeline.
**What surprised me:** The proximity to the new Elysium Mons skylight. The paper is about landing sites, not cave habitation — but the geographic overlap with tube candidate sites makes this a co-location data point.
**What I expected but didn't find:** Exact ice thickness and volume estimates. The paper establishes presence and depth, not volume/reservoir scale.
**KB connections:** [[water is the strategic keystone resource of the cislunar economy because it simultaneously serves as propellant life support radiation shielding and thermal management]], Mars settlement bootstrapping chain, [[power is the binding constraint on all space operations because every capability from ISRU to manufacturing to life support is power-limited]]
**Extraction hints:** Primary claim: "Near-surface ice in northern Amazonis Planitia at centimeter-scale depths provides an ISRU-accessible water source in the same geographic region as the 2025 Elysium Mons lava tube skylight candidate, potentially enabling radiation-shielded settlement co-located with shallow water ISRU in a single landing site." Confidence: experimental (geomorphological inference, not drill samples).
**Context:** JGR:Planets is the leading peer-reviewed outlet for Mars surface science. Thermal contraction polygon analysis is a well-established methodology. The depth estimate is model-derived.

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: The settlement bootstrapping chain — specifically whether radiation shielding (lava tubes) and water ISRU can co-locate at a single Mars site
WHY ARCHIVED: Establishes near-surface ice in the same geographic region as the new Elysium Mons tube candidate — the key co-location data point the research question sought
EXTRACTION HINT: The geographic co-location claim requires hedging — "adjacent to" not "inside" — but the proximity is significant. Extractor should check exact distance between the Elysium Mons skylight coordinates and the Amazonis Planitia ice-rich terrain.
