Ma'adim Vallis Evolution: Geometry and Models of Discharge Rate

Cabrol, Nathalie A.; Grin, E. A.; Landheim, R.

doi:10.1006/icar.1998.5903

Cited by 36 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…Rice (1997) presented evidence for wide age-ranging aqueous sedimentary deposits in Elysium Basin, pointing to the stability of Noachian to Amazonian lacustrine environments. Such Noachian/Hesperianaqueous activity is also noted for Gusev impact crater basin where recurrent Ma'adim Vallis flooding may have resulted in episodic lakes Cabrol et al, 1998). In addition, the presence of a significant volume of water in Utopia Basin has been proposed Thomson and Head, 2001), as well as the subsurface outflow and surface runoff from the northwest flanks of the Elysium rise into the Utopia basin (Mouginis-Mark, 1985;Greeley and Guest, 1987;Skinner and Tanaka, 2001) during the Late Hesperian and Amazonian and surface runoff in north Terra Cimmeria from the Late Noachian to Early Amazonian (Nelson et al, 2001).…”

Section: The Later Oceanmentioning

confidence: 65%

Episodic flood inundations of the northern plains of Mars

Fairén

Dohm

Baker

et al. 2003

Icarus

168

160

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Throughout the recorded history of Mars, liquid water has distinctly shaped its landscape, including the prominent circum-Chryse and the northwestern slope valleys outflow channel systems, and the extremely flat northern plains topography at the distal reaches of these outflow channel systems. Paleotopographic reconstructions of the Tharsis magmatic complex reveal the existence of an Europe-sized Noachian drainage basin and subsequent aquifer system in eastern Tharsis. This basin is proposed to have sourced outburst floodwaters that sculpted the outflow channels, and ponded to form various hypothesized oceans, seas, and lakes episodically through time. These floodwaters decreased in volume with time due to inadequate groundwater recharge of the Tharsis aquifer system. Martian topography, as observed from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, corresponds well to these ancient flood inundations, including the approximated shorelines that have been proposed for the northern plains. Stratigraphy, geomorphology, and topography record at least one great Noachian-Early Hesperian northern plains ocean, a Late Hesperian sea inset within the margin of the high water marks of the previous ocean, and a number of widely distributed minor lakes that may represent a reduced Late Hesperian sea, or ponded waters in the deepest reaches of the northern plains related to minor Tharsis-and Elysium-induced Amazonian flooding.

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Section: The Later Oceanmentioning

confidence: 65%

Episodic flood inundations of the northern plains of Mars

Fairén

Dohm

Baker

et al. 2003

Icarus

168

160

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“…Reclassification as a longitudinal valley was later preferred (4). Sapping processes were later suggested (22) to play a role in carving the valley, with multiple episodes of flow.…”

Section: Stream Profiles On Marsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drainage basins and channel incision on Mars

Aharonson

Zuber

Rothman

et al. 2002

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Measurements acquired by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on board the Mars Global Surveyor indicate that large drainage systems on Mars have geomorphic characteristics inconsistent with prolonged erosion by surface runoff. We find the topography has not evolved to an expected equilibrium terrain form, even in areas where runoff incision has been previously interpreted. By analogy with terrestrial examples, groundwater sapping may have played an important role in the incision. Longitudinally flat floor segments may provide a direct indication of lithologic layers in the bedrock, altering subsurface hydrology. However, it is unlikely that floor levels are entirely due to inherited structures due to their planar cross-cutting relations. These conclusions are based on previously unavailable observations, including extensive piece-wise linear longitudinal profiles, frequent knickpoints, hanging valleys, and small basin concavity exponents.

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“…Given the great length and depth of Ma'adim Vallis and the shallow depth and flat floor of Gusev crater, the quantity of lacustrine sediments flUing the crater is likely to be substantial (14)(15)(16). The aqueous sedimentation events at Gusev probably occurred more than 3 billion years ago, however, and we recognized before landing that any water-lain deposits could have been buried by more recent volcanic and/or eolian materials (13).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Spirit Rover's Athena Science Investigation at Gusev Crater, Mars

Squyres¹

2004

Science

117

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The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit and its Atliena science payload liave been used to investigate a landing site in Gusev crater. Gusev is hypothesized to be the site of a former lake, but no clear evidence for lacustrine sedimentation has been found to date. Instead, the dominant lithology is basalt, and the dominant geologic processes are impact events and eolian transport. I^jany rocks exhibit coatings and other characteristics that may be evidence for minor aqueous alteration. Any lacustrine sediments that may exist at this location within Gusev apparently have been buried by lavas that have undergone subsequent impact disruption.Spirit landed in Gusev crater on 4 January 2004 UTC. It was followed 21 days later by Opportunity, which landed on Meridiani Planurn. Both vehicles landed using a variant of the airbag landing system that was developed for the Mars Pathfinder mission, deploying the rovers after the landers had come to rest on the surface (1). The primary scientific objective of their mission is to explore two sites on the martian surface where water may once have been present, and to assess past environmental conditions at those sites and their suitability for life. Here we provide an overview of the results from the 90-sol (2) nominal mission of Spirit.Like Opportunity, Spirit carries a copy of the Athena science payload (3) (Fig. 1). The topography, morphology, and mineralogy of the scene around the rover have been revealed by two remote sensing instruments: a panoramic camera (Pancam) and a miniature thermal emission spectrometer (Mini-TES). Pancam (4) is a stereo camera whose filters provide 11 unique color spectral bandpasses over the spectral region from 0.4 to 1.1 mm, as well as two other filters for direct imaging of the Sun. Mini-TES (5) produces high spectral resolution (10 cm^') infrared image cubes with a wavelength range of 5 to 29 jjim. The Pancam cameras and the Mini-TES scanning mirrors are mounted atop a mast (3) at a height of ~ 1.5 m above the ground.Once potential science targets have been identified using Pancam and Mini-TES, they have been studied in more detail with the use of two in situ compositional sensors mounted on a 5-degree-of-freedom robotic arm (3). These are an Alpha Particle-X-Ray Spectrometer [APXS (6)] and a Mössbauer Spectrometer (7). Radioactive ^^^Cm alpha sources and two detection modes (alpha and x-ray) in the APXS reveal elemental abundances of rocks and soils (8). The Mössbauer Spectrometer measures the resonant absorption of gamma rays produced by a ^^Co source to determine splitting of nuclear energy levels in ^^Fe atoms, revealing the mineralogy and oxidation state of Fe-bearing phases. The instrument arm also carries a Microscopic Imager [MI (P)] that has been used to obtain highresolution (30 jjim/pixel) images of rock and soil surfaces and a Rock Abrasion Tool [ RAT (10)] that can remove up to ~5 mm of material over a circular area 45 mm in diameter. Finally, the payload includes the Magnetic Properties Experiment consisting of seven magnets that hav...

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Ma'adim Vallis Evolution: Geometry and Models of Discharge Rate

Cited by 36 publications

References 9 publications

Episodic flood inundations of the northern plains of Mars

Episodic flood inundations of the northern plains of Mars

Drainage basins and channel incision on Mars

The Spirit Rover's Athena Science Investigation at Gusev Crater, Mars

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