Origin and development of theater-headed valleys in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile: Morphological analogs to martian valley networks

Irwin, R. P.; Tooth, Stephen; Craddock, R. A.; Howard, A. D.; Latour, Ana Baptista de

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.08.012

Cited by 19 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 77 publications

(111 reference statements)

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“…In this data set, we identified converging valley segments, valley heads and outlets based on the network topology. Building upon the work of Jaumann and Reiss (2002), the orientation relative to north of each valley segment was extracted for each stream order identified in the data set. Orientation distributions were normalized per stream order to clearly show the differences between valley orientations of different stream orders.…”

Section: Martian Landscape Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this section, we show the morphology of Louros Valles and Nirgal Vallis (Figs. 10 and 11), two Martian valley systems that were previously attributed to a groundwater seepage origin (e.g., Jaumann and Reiss, 2002;Harrison and Grimm, 2005;Glines and Fassett, 2013). These two system serve as an example of how to apply our experimental results and have received much attention in recent literature.…”

Section: Examples Of Martian Valley Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the case of valley formation by seepage from uniform precipitation, the theoretical angle between valley segments becomes 72 . Such properties as well as the orientation of valleys (Jaumann and Reiss, 2002) can be extracted from the landscape and indicate the responsible hydrological system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Groundwater seepage landscapes from distant and local sources in experiments and on Mars

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Valleys with theater-shaped heads can form due to the seepage of groundwater and as a result of knickpoint (waterfall) erosion generated by overland flow. This ambiguity in the mechanism of formation hampers the interpretation of such valleys on Mars, particularly since there is limited knowledge of material properties. Moreover, the hydrological implications of a groundwater or surface water origin are important for our understanding of the evolution of surface features on Mars, and a quantification of valley morphologies at the landscape scale may provide diagnostic insights on the formative hydrological conditions. However, flow patterns and the resulting landscapes produced by different sources of groundwater are poorly understood. We aim to improve the understanding of the formation of entire valley landscapes through seepage processes from different groundwater sources that will provide a framework of landscape metrics for the interpretation of such systems. We study groundwater seepage from a distant source of groundwater and from infiltration of local precipitation in a series of sandbox experiments and combine our results with previous experiments and observations of the Martian surface. Key results are that groundwater flow piracy acts on valleys fed by a distant groundwater source and results in a sparsely dissected landscape of many small and a few large valleys. In contrast, valleys fed by a local groundwater source, i.e., nearby infiltration, result in a densely dissected landscape. In addition, valleys fed by a distant groundwater source grow towards that source, while valleys with a local source grow in a broad range of directions and have a strong tendency to bifurcate, particularly on flatter surfaces. We consider these results with respect to two Martian cases: Louros Valles shows properties of seepage by a local source of groundwater and Nirgal Vallis shows evidence of a distant source, which we interpret as groundwater flow from Tharsis.

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Section: Martian Landscape Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Examples Of Martian Valley Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Groundwater seepage landscapes from distant and local sources in experiments and on Mars

et al. 2015

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“…Fan‐shaped landforms are common on the Martian surface, and they could be formed in various geologic processes such as fluvial (Cabrol & Grin, ; Rivera‐Hernández & Palucis, ), glacial (Pathare et al, ), volcanic (Noe Dobrea et al, ; Skilling, ), and mass wasting (Irwin et al, ). These processes lead to differences in detailed morphologic characteristics.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleolakes in the Northwest Hellas Region, Mars: Implications for the Regional Geologic History and Paleoclimate

2020

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Hellas basin is one of the largest and oldest impact basins on the Martian surface. Its surrounding highland regions have undergone complicated geologic processes after the formation of Hellas basin. However, the geologic and climatic histories of the highlands surrounding Hellas are still unclear. Paleolakes provide us clues to answer these questions. In this study, we made a detailed investigation of paleolakes in the northwest Hellas region with high‐resolution imaging, topographic, and spectral data. A total of 64 paleolakes were identified with diameters larger than 4 km, in which 49 are newly reported. We calculated basic hydrologic parameters of the paleolakes and analyzed the sedimentary landforms, resurfacing processes, and aqueous minerals in the lake basins. Comprehensive analyses of the geomorphology, mineralogy, and age of the paleolakes revealed the geologic and climatic histories of the northwest Hellas region: a climate transition from warm and wet to semi‐arid happened in Noachian, and then lakes drained in a cold and dry climate in the early Hesperian, contemporary with or followed by a period of intense volcanic activity peaked around 3.3 Ga, and finally in the Amazonian, an extensive glacial event around 0.9 Ga resurfaced most of the paleolakes in the region south of 25°S. Our study also supports the existence of a “Hellas Ocean” and indicates that the Martian climate could have variations on regional scales and further studies are still needed to clarify the details.

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“…Ma. Irwin et al (2014) proposed flood erosion of strong-overlying-weak stratigraphy and flood erosion of vertically jointed rock as two other mechanisms of quebrada formation. The origin and mechanisms of formation of the smaller channels that are observed in the study area are enigmatic; however, they must postdate the 0.87 -1.38 Ma Cajón Ignimbrite.…”

Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Timing and nature of alluvial fan development along the Chajnantor Plateau, northern Chile

Cesta

Ward

2016

Geomorphology

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Alluvial systems in the Atacama Desert provide a unique opportunity to elucidate the sedimentary response to climate variability, particularly changes in precipitation, in hyperarid environments. Alluvial fans along the eastern margin of the Salar de Atacama, adjacent to the Chajnantor Plateau in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, provide an archive of climate-modulated sediment transfer and erosion at an extreme of Earth's climate. Three regional alluvial fan surfaces (Qf1 [oldest] to Qf3 [youngest]) were mapped along the western flank of the Chajnantor Plateau. The alluvial fans were examined with geomorphic and terrestrial cosmogenic 36 Cl surface exposure dating methods to define the timing of alluvial fan formation and to determine the role of climatic processes on fan development in a hyperarid environment. Alluvial fans in the study area are comprised of hyperconcentrated flow and boulder-rich debris flow deposits that reflect deposition transitioning between cohesive and noncohesive regimes. Alluvial fan surfaces yield exposure ages that range from 49.6 ± 4.4 to 194 ± 12 ka, while debris flow boulders yield exposure ages ranging from 12.4 ± 2.1 to 229 ± 53 ka. Cosmogenic 36 Cl exposure ages indicate that abandonment of alluvial fan surfaces Qf1, Qf2, and Qf3 date to 175 ± 22.6 ka (MIS 6), 134.5 ± 9.18 ka (MIS 6), and 20.07 ± 6.26 ka (MIS 2), respectively. A 36 Cl concentration-depth profile through alluvial fan Qf1 suggests a simple depositional history with minimal nuclide inheritance implying relatively rapid aggradation (6 m in ca. 25 ky) followed by surface abandonment ca. 180-200 ka. Our data support a strong climatic control on alluvial fan evolution in the region, and we propose that the alluvial fans along the margins of the Salar de Atacama form according to the humid model of fan formation.

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Origin and development of theater-headed valleys in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile: Morphological analogs to martian valley networks

Cited by 19 publications

References 77 publications

Groundwater seepage landscapes from distant and local sources in experiments and on Mars

Groundwater seepage landscapes from distant and local sources in experiments and on Mars

Paleolakes in the Northwest Hellas Region, Mars: Implications for the Regional Geologic History and Paleoclimate

Timing and nature of alluvial fan development along the Chajnantor Plateau, northern Chile

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