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System of Gigantic Valleys northwest of Tharsis, Mars: Latent catastrophic flooding, northwest watershed, and implications for Northern Plains Ocean
Author(s) -
Dohm J. M.,
Anderson R. C.,
Baker V. R.,
Ferris J. C.,
Hare T. M.,
Strom R. G.,
Rudd L. P.,
Rice J. W.,
Casavant R. R.,
Scott D. H.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2000gl011728
Subject(s) - tharsis , hesperian , geology , mars exploration program , lava , amazonian , martian , orbiter , volcano , noachian , shield volcano , impact crater , earth science , geomorphology , astrobiology , paleontology , ecology , amazon rainforest , aerospace engineering , engineering , biology , physics
Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) reveals a system of gigantic valleys to the northwest of the huge martian shield volcano, Arsia Mons, in the western hemisphere of Mars. These newly identified northwestern slope valleys (NSVs) potentially signify previously undocumented martian catastrophic floods and may corroborate the northern ocean hypotheses. These features, which generally correspond spatially to gravity lows, were previously obscured in Mariner and Viking Orbiter imagery by veneers of materials, including volcanic lava flows and air fall deposits. Geologic investigations of the Tharsis region suggest that the NSVs were mainly carved prior to the construction of Arsia Mons and its associated Late Hesperian and Amazonian age lava flows, concurrent with the early development of the outflow channels that debouch into Chryse Planitia.