The Evolution of Lacustrine Environments on Mars: Is Mars Only Hydrologically Dormant?

Cabrol, Nathalie A.

doi:10.1006/icar.2000.6530

Cited by 163 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…Cabrol and Grin (1999) have catalogued 179 impact crater lakes at Viking resolution for the whole planet; in this study, a relative age was suggested for the 30 largest and these were mostly Late Hesperian to Amazonian. Cabrol and Grin (2001) proposed a method to narrow down the relative age for all of the 179 crater lakes, which includes a summary of their findings that suggests periods of warmer and wetter climatic conditions and environmental change. Also, Cabrol and Grin (2001) estimate that the main lacustrine activity is placed between 3.1 and 1.8 Gyr, and rises to a maximum in the Early Amazonian (about 2.5 to 2.1 Gyr).…”

Section: The Later Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Episodic flood inundations of the northern plains of Mars

Fairén

Dohm

Baker

et al. 2003

Icarus

165

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: 99%

Episodic flood inundations of the northern plains of Mars

Fairén

Dohm

Baker

et al. 2003

Icarus

165

160

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“…Impact cratering causes the vertical excavation and lateral transport of crustal material, and the ejecta deposits in younger craters provide important information on the nature of the substrate and of the cratering process. Impact craters have also provided geothermal sites due to heating and impact melt emplacement, penetrated the cryosphere to release groundwater, and served as sinks for ponded surface water (e.g., Carr, 1996;Cabrol and Grin, 2001).…”

Section: Impact Crateringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent MOC data show evidence for layered deposits in many impact craters, suggesting that standing bodies of water occurred in these locations (e.g., Malin and Edgett, 2000). Such locations have been cataloged and are abundant and widespread (e.g., Cabrol and Grin, 2001). Lake sediments are also thought to characterize the floor of Valles Marineris (Lucchitta et al, 1992).…”

Section: Lakes and Oceansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geological Processes and Evolution

Head

Greeley

Golombek

et al. 2001

Space Sciences Series of ISSI

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Abstract. Geological mapping and establishment of stratigraphic relationships provides an overview of geological processes operating on Mars and how they have varied in time and space. Impact craters and basins shaped the crust in earliest history and as their importance declined, evidence of extensive regional volcanism emerged during the Late Noachian. Regional volcanism characterized the Early Hesperian and subsequent to that time, volcanism was largely centered at Tharsis and Elysium, continuing until the recent geological past. The Tharsis region appears to have been largely constructed by the Late Noachian, and represents a series of tectonic and volcanic centers. Globally distributed structural features representing contraction characterize the middle Hesperian. Water-related processes involve the formation of valley networks in the Late Noachian and into the Hesperian, an ice sheet at the south pole in the middle Hesperian, and outflow channels and possible standing bodies of water in the northern lowlands in the Late Hesperian and into the Amazonian. A significant part of the present water budget occurs in the present geologically young polar layered terrains. In order to establish more firmly rates of processes, we stress the need to improve the calibration of the absolute timescale, which today is based on crater count systems with substantial uncertainties, along with a sampling of rocks of unknown provenance. Sample return from carefully chosen stratigraphic units could calibrate the existing timescale and vastly improve our knowledge of Martian evolution.

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“…1) in order to investigate the role that water may have played in its formation. Only about a dozen of these terraced fan deposits have been identified on Mars (Ori et al, 2000;Cabrol and Grin, 2001;Malin and Edgett, 2003;Irwin et al, 2005), although their small sizes make them difficult to identify with the current orbital data sets. Moore and Howard (2005) have identified several dozen alluvial fans in highland craters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%