Geomorphological analysis of Tinto-B Vallis on Mars

  • Vilmos Steinmann Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary ; Konkoly Thege Miklós Astronomical Institute, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5233-6436
  • Ákos Kereszturi Konkoly Thege Miklós Astronomical Institute, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6420-510X
  • László Mari Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
Keywords: Mars, erosion, SIMWE, fluvial erosion, morphology

Abstract

This work analysis an 81 km long 1.85 km wide fluvial valley on Mars (at 2°55’ South and 111°53’ East) for the first time, located near to the so-called Palos carter and Tinto Vallis, called Tinto-B hereafter. The length of the valley is approximately 81 km, and the average width is ~1.85 km, depth ~250 m. The hypsometric curves were created in 5 different buffer sizes on the main valley and the biggest tributary valley. The tributary valley shows a youth stage in the geomorphological evolution opposite to the main valley, which shows a mature stage. The crater statistical analysis based age of the main valley (2.9 Ga) poorly correlates with the early wet period of the red planet, thus, formed somehow later than most Martian valleys. Using the model SIMWE (SIMulated Water Erosion), for the to identify the small-scaled tributary valley systems and the small-scaled erosional landforms showed area elevated drainage density. The highest density of the tributary sections is 29.02 km/km2 , and the average is 3.09 km/km2. Considering only the main valley 0.017 km/km2 would have been measured, suggesting dozen(s) early tributaries were heavily eroded.

References

Baker, V.R. 1988. The channels of Mars. The NASA Mars Conference Proceedings (A89-16176 04-91). San Diego, California, Univelt Inc., 75-90.

Baker, V.R., Carr, M.H., Gulick, V.C., Williams, C.R. and Marley, M.S. 1992. Channels and valley networks. The NASA Mars Conference Proceedings (A93-27852 09-91). San Diego, California, Univelt Inc., 493-522. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt207g59v.19

Baker, V.R. 2001. Water and the Martian landscape. Nature 412. 228-236. https://doi.org/10.1038/35084172

Berman, D.C. and Hartmann, W.K. 2002. Recent fluvial, volcanic, and tectonic activity on the Cerberus Plains of Mars. Icarus 159. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1006/icar.2002.6920

Carr, M.H. 1981. The Surface of Mars. New Haven, London, Yale University Press.

Carr, M.H. and Chuang, F.C. 1997. Martian drainage densities. Journal of Geophysical Research 102(E4), 9145-9152. https://doi.org/10.1029/97JE00113

Carr, M.H. and Malin, M.C. 2000. Meter-scale characteristic of Martian channels and valleys. Icarus 146. 366-386. https://doi.org/10.1006/icar.2000.6428

Cassanelli, J.P. and Head, J.W. 2016. Lava heating and loading of ice sheets on early Mars: Predictions for meltwater generation, groundwater recharge, and resulting landforms. Icarus 271. 237-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2016.02.004

Clifford, S.M. 1993. A model for the hydrologic and climatic behaviour of water on Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research 98(E6), 10973. https://doi.org/10.1029/93JE00225

Conway, S., Pommerol, A., Thomas, N., Raack, J., Phillipe, M. and Cremonese, G. 2019. Seasonal ices and gullies on Mars studied with CaSSIS. EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting, 15-20 September 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland, Id. EPSC-DPS2019-1810

Craddock, R.A., Irwin, R.P. and Howard, A.D. 2001. Martian drainage densities: analyses from MOLA digital elevation models. Workshop on the Martian Highlands and Mojave Desert Analogs, 20-27 October, 2001. Las Vegas, Nevada, Abstract 4016.

Craddock, R.A. and Howard, A.D. 2002. The case for rainfall on a warm, wet early Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research 107. (E11), 5111. https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JE001505

De Haas, T., McArdell, B.W., Conway, S.J., McElwaine, J.N., Kleinhans, M.G., Salese, F. and Grindrod, P.M. 2019. Initiation and flow conditions of contemporary flows in Martian gullies. Journal of Geophysical Research 124. (8): 2246-2271. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JE005899

Dickson, J.L., Fassett, C.I. and Head, J.W. 2009. Amazonian-aged fluvial valley systems in a climatic microenvironment on Mars: Melting of ice deposits on the interior of Lyot Crater. Geophysical Research Letters 36. Cite ID L08201. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL037472

Dohm, J.M., Hare, T.M., Robbins, S.J., Williams, J.-P., Soare, R.J., El-Maarry, M.R., Conway, S.J., Buczkowski, D.L., Kargel, J.S., Banks, M.E., Fairén, A.G., Schulze-Makuch, D., Komatsu, G., Miyamoto, H., Anderson, R.C., Davila, A.F., Mahaney, W.C., Fink, W., Cleaves, H.J., Yan, J., Hynek, B. and Maruyama, S. 2015. Geological and hydrological histories of the Argyre province, Mars. Icarus 253. 66-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2015.02.017

Fassett, C.I. and Head, J.W. 2008. The timing of Martian valley network activity: Constraints from buffered crater counting. Icarus 195. 61-89. Goldspiel, J.M. and Squyres, S.W. 2000. Groundwater sapping and valley formation on Mars. Icarus 148. 176-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2007.12.009

Grant, J.A. 2000. Valley formation in Margaritifer Sinus, Mars, by precipitation recharged groundwater sapping. Geology 28. 223-226. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2000)028<0223:VFIMSM>2.3.CO;2

Hargitai, H. and Kereszturi, A. (eds.) 2015. Encyclopaedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer Reference. New York, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3

Hargitai, H.I., Gulick, V.C. and Glines, N.H. 2019. Evolution of the Navua Valles region: Implications for Mars' paleoclimatic history. Icarus 330. 91-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2019.04.024

Hauber, E., Gwinner, K., Kleinhans, M., Reiss, D., Di Achille, G., Ori, G.-G., Scholten, F., Marinangeli, L., Jaumann, R. and Neukum, G. 2009. Sedimentary deposits in Xanthe Terra: Implications for the ancient climate on Mars. Planetary and Space Science 57. (8-9): 944-957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2008.06.009

Hobley, D.E.J., Howard, A.D. and Moore, M. 2014. Fresh shallow valleys in the Martian valley: Evidence from Newton and Gorgnim basins. Journal of Geophysical Research 116. 128-153. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JE004396

Hoke, M.R.T. and Hynek, B.M. 2008. Analysing and dating valley networks in Arabia Terra and Terra Meridiani, Mars. 39th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 10-14 March 2008. League City, Texas, LPI Contribution No. 1391. Abstract 2183.

Horne, D.J. 2018. Young, small-scale surface features in Meridiani Planum, Mars: A possible signature of recent transient liquid and gas emissions. Planetary and Space Science 157. 10-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2018.04.012

Howard, A.D., Moore, J.M. and Irwin, R.P. 2005. An intense terminal epoch of widespread fluvial activity on early Mars: 1. Valley network incision and associated deposits. Journal of Geophysical Research 110. (E12) Cite ID E12S14. https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JE002459

Hyneck, B.M. and Phillips, R.J. 2003. New data reveal, integrated drainage systems on Mars indicative of past precipitation. Geology 31. 757-760. https://doi.org/10.1130/G19607.1

Hynek, B.M., Beach, M. and Hoke, M.R.T. 2010. Updated global map of Martian valley networks and implications for climate and hydrologic processes. Journal of Geophysical Research 115. (E9) Cite ID E09008. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JE003548

Irwin, R.P. and Howard, A.D. 2002. Drainage basin evolution in Noachian Terra Cimmeria. Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research 107. (E7) JE001818. https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JE001818

Kereszturi, A. and Petrik, A. 2020. Age determination for valley networks on Mars using tectonic-fluvial interaction. Planetary and Space Science 180. Article id. 104754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2019.104754

Kneissl, T., Gasselt, S.V. and Neukum, G. 2011. Mapprojection-independent crater size-frequency determination in GIS environments - New software tool for ArcGIS. Planetary and Space Science 59. (11-12): 1243-1254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2010.03.015

Mangold, N., Quantin, C., Ansan, V., Delacourt, C. and Allemand, P. 2004. Evidence for precipitation on Mars from Dendritic Valleys in the Valles Marineris area. Science 305. 78-81. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1097549

Martín-Torres, F.J., Zorzano, M.-P., ValentínSerrano, P., Harri, A.-M., Genzer, M., Kemppinen, O., Rivera-Valentin, E.G., Jun, I., Wray, J., Madsen, B.M., Goetz, W., McEwen, A.S., Hardgrove, C., Renno, N., Chevrier, V.F., Mischna, M., NavarroGonzález, R., Martínez-Frías, J., Conrad, P., McConnochie, T., Cockell, Ch., Berger, G., Vasavada, A.R., Sumner, D. and Vaniman, D. 2015. Transient liquid water and water activity at Gale Crater on Mars. Nature Geoscience 8. (5): 357-361. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2412

Michael, G. and Neukum, G. 2010. Planetary surface dating from crater size- frequency distribution measurements: Partial resurfacing events and statistical age uncertainty. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 294. (3-4): 223-229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2009.12.041

Milton, D.J. 1973. Water and processes of degradation in the Martitan landscape. Journal of Geophysical Research 78. 4037-4047. https://doi.org/10.1029/JB078i020p04037

Mitasova, H., Thaxton, C., Hofierka, J., Mclaughlin, R., Moore, A. and Mitas, L. 2004. Path sampling method for modelling overland water flow, sediment transport, and short term terrain evolution in Open Source GIS. Computational Methods in Water Resources 2. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Computational Methods in Water Resources Developments in Water Science, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 13-17 June 2004. 1479-1490. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-5648(04)80159-X

Möhlmann, D. and Kereszturi, A. 2010. Viscous liquid film flow on dune slopes of Mars. Icarus 207. (2): 654-658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2010.01.002

Neukum, G., Jaumann, R. and the HRSC CoInvestigator Team 2004. High resolution stereo camera of Mars Express. In Mars Express: The Scientific Payload. Ed.: Wilson, A., Berlin, DLR, 15-74.

Pal, B. 2019. Global distribution of near-surface relative humidity levels on Mars. 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. 21-24. March 2019. The Woodlands, Texas, LPI Contribution No. 2132. Id.1831.

Palumbo, A.M., Head, J.W. and Wilson, L. 2020. Rainfall on Noachian Mars: Nature, timing, and influence on geologic processes and climate history. Icarus 347. Article id. 113782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113782

Phillips, R.J., Zuber, M.T., Solomon, S.C., Golombek, M.P., Jakosky, B.M., Banerdt, W.B., Smith, D.E., Williams, R.M., Hynek, B.M., Aharonson, O. and Hauck, S.A. 2001. Ancient geodynamics and globalscale hydrology on Mars. Science 291. 2587-2591. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1058701

Rauhala, A.I. and Kostama, V.-P. 2012a. Origins and age constraints of the Palos Crater floor deposits and Tinto Vallis, Mars. 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 19-23. March 2012. The Woodlands, Texas, LPI Contribution No. 1719. Abstract 2261.

Rauhala, A.I. and Kostama, V.-P. 2012b. Palos crater and Tinto Vallis, Mars: Analysis of proposed fluvial and volcanic scenarios. European Planetary Science Congress, IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, 23-28 September 2012, Madrid, Spain, EPSC. Abstracts, Vol. 7. EPSC2012-444.

Salese, F., McMahon, W.J., Balme, M.R., Ansan, V., Davis, J.M. and Kleinhans, M.G. 2020. Sustained fluvial deposition recorded in Mars' Noachian stratigraphic record. Nature Communications 11. Article id. 2067. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15622-0

Scanlon, K.E., Head, J.W., Fastook, J.L. and Wordsworth, R.D. 2018. The Dorsa Argentea Formation and the Noachian-Hesperian climate transition. Icarus 299. 339-363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2017.07.031

Schorghofer, N., Levy, J. and Goudge, T.A. 2018. Seasonal frost as source of liquid water on Mars. 49th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 19-23. March 2018. The Woodlands, Texas, LPI Contribution No. 2083. Abstract P53F-3024.

Sidiropoulos, P. and Muller, J. 2015. On the status of orbital high-resolution repeat imaging of Mars for the observation of dynamic surface processes. Planetary and Space Science 117. 207-222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2015.06.017

Stepinski, T.F. and Collier, M.L. 2003. Drainage densities of computationally extracted Martian drainage basins. Sixth International Conference on Mars, 20-25 July 2003, Pasadena, California, Abstract 3100.

Strahler, A.N. 1952. Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. Geological Society of America Bulletin 63. (11): 1117-1142. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1952)63[1117:HAAOET]2.0.CO;2

Vaz, D.A., Di Achille, G., Hynek, B.M., Nelson, W. and Williams, R.M.E. 2020. Martian fan deposits: Insights on depositional processes and origin from mass balance survey. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 533. Article id. 116049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.116049

Published
2020-12-22
How to Cite
SteinmannV., Kereszturi Ákos, & MariL. (2020). Geomorphological analysis of Tinto-B Vallis on Mars. Hungarian Geographical Bulletin, 69(4), 333-348. https://doi.org/10.15201/hungeobull.69.4.1
Section
Articles