Viewing lobate patterns on Mars and Earth as climate modulated fluid-like instabilities

Lobate features found on high-latitude slopes on Mars resemble terrestrial cold-climate soil patterns known as solifluction lobes. Whether this provides evidence of freeze thaw processes on Mars or pattern equifinality is up for debate. Guided by recently developed theory for solifluction pattern formation inspired by fluid instabilities, here we compare HiRISE imagery of Martian lobes with a large dataset of solifluction lobes on Earth and find that they exhibit similar morphologic scaling. Our data show that Martian lobes are roughly 2.6 times taller than their Earth counterparts, indicative of lobe height set by cohesive soil strength under different gravitational conditions. We also explore possible climate controls on Martian lobe morphology using elevation, aspect, and temperature data. Our work suggests mechanistic similarities between lobate patterns on Earth and Mars that point toward icy origins for these features, with implications for our understanding of climate controls on Martian surface processes. • Lobate patterns on Mar are quantitatively similar to freeze-thaw soil patterns on Earth known as solifluction lobes. • Lower gravity allows lobes on Mars to grow larger than their terrestrial counterparts. • Comparison with climate indices suggests that Martian lobes likely formed under icy conditions.