The resurfacing history of the Tempe Terra region is determined using the Neukum and Hiller <1981> technique of breaking cumulative frequency curves into separate branches where the curves depart from a standard production curve. We find four surfaces recorded in the heavily cratered portions of Tempe Terra, with crater retension ages N(1)=<242,100>, <95,700>, <20,800>, and <5500>. This is interpreted to indicate three major resurfacing events occurred in this region, ending at N(1)=<95,700>, <20,800>, and <5500>. The ridge plains on the Tempe Terra plateau have an oldest recorded surface age of <20,400>, identical to that of the second resurfacing event recorded in the heavily cratered areas. A single resurfacing of the ridged plains (which may have been a second episode of ridged plains volcanism) occurred at N(1)=<7800>. The knobby plains to the north west and east of Tempe Terra also show a resurfacing at <20,000> and additional events at <5400> and perhaps <1600>. Mottled plains to the northeast record surfaces with crater retention age <7500>, <5000>, and <3900>, where the first age is determined by a single surviving crater. It appears that the Lunae Planum Age (LPA) (at N(1)=<20,000>) resurfacing event seen elsewhere on Mars was widespread and effective in this region. A second widespread event appears to have ended at N(1)=<5000>. We estimate the thickness of the resurfacing materials corresponding to the LPA event to be less than 90 m in the heavily cratered areas but 300--500 m in the ridge plains themselves. Later resurfacing materials were generally thicker farther north in the mottled plains (300 m) than in the knobby plains (200 m). |