Martian valley networks 3D geometry from the HRSC data in the Echus Chasma, Huygens and Aeolis regions

Details Martian valley networks 3D geometry from the HRSC data in the Echus Chasma, Huygens and Aeolis regions Martian valley networks 3D geometry from the HRSC data in the Echus Chasma, Huygens and Aeolis regions

Dec 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007agufm.p12c..01a&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007, abstract #P12C-01

Physics

0704 Seasonally Frozen Ground, 5415 Erosion And Weathering, 5419 Hydrology And Fluvial Processes, 5422 Ices, 6225 Mars

Scientific paper

Valley networks on Mars have been the subject of considerable debates about their formation processes since three decades. MOLA altimetry data (Mars Observer Laser Altimeter) gives the possibility to study the geometry and topography of valley networks at spatial resolution of typically 500m -1 km. This resolution is sufficient to map large valleys but not small tributaries that we can map on high resolution imagery. The Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) allows us to extract DTM (Digital terrain Model) from stereoscopic images with typical spatial resolution <50 m, and vertical resolution typically 10 to 100 m depending on terrains roughness and image quality. We compare the organization of valley networks in two regions (Aeolis region, Huygens Crater region and West Echus Chasma plateau) using both DTMs (MOLA and HRSC). Compared to MOLA, HRSC DTMs improve the quantification of valley networks properties such as drainage densities and aspect ratios. In Aeolis region, MOLA drainage density gives between 0.1 and 0.2 km-1 with Strahler order of 3 whereas HRSC DTM gives between 0.1 and 0.3 km-1 with Strahler's order of 4. The three studied regions enable us to compare two Noachian terrains (Aeolis and Huygens) and one Hesperian terrain (Echus plateau). The comparison shows that the West Echus plateau younger drainages are much more shallow with less incision (20 m to 80 m) than in Aeolis (20 m to 200 m) and Huygens (50 to 400 m), despite that the drainage densities is higher and their maturity is large. The longitudinal profile appears also more concave in the Noachian regions than in the Hesperian one. This difference is probably the effect of three parameters: (1) Noachian terrains are not as well preserved as late episodes of activity on freshly formed Hesperian rocks, possibly explaining small tributaries are missing over Noachian terrains, (2) the duration of Noachian networks formation might be longer to explain the larger incision of valleys, (3) the bedrock composition is uncertain and might be different.

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