Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

23
C.M. Rodrigue, 2014 Geography, CSULB Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes Geography 441/541 S/14 Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue

description

Geography 441/541 S/14 Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue. Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes. Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes. The “Orders of Relief” for Martian Landscapes The first order was the great crustal dichotomy: Northern lowlands: ~ 1/3 Southern highlands: ~2/3 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

Page 1: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

Geography 441/541S/14

Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue

Page 2: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• The “Orders of Relief” for Martian Landscapes– The first order was the great crustal dichotomy:

• Northern lowlands: ~ 1/3• Southern highlands: ~2/3

– The second order was the large regional features: • Tharsis and Elysium rises• The largest craters: Hellas, Argyre, Isidis, Utopia• Valles Marineris• The polar ice caps

Page 3: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• The “Orders of Relief” for Martian Landscapes– The third order was the somewhat smaller major regions

associated with the araeological eras:• In many ways, this is a cross-cutting category• It addresses the “geological column” or relative ages of all

Martian landscapes in terms of the three regional units that gave the three-part sequences of Mars’ evolution their names:– The Noachian Era– The Hesperian Era– The Amazonian Era

Page 4: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes• The “Orders of Relief” for Martian Landscapes

– The fourth order is “in order” now:• These are smaller features (a few kilometers to a few hundred km):• They are landscapes dominated by one or two processes

– Fluvial valleys – Sapping alcoves– Outwash channels– Linear fossæ– Folded and faulted mountains of Thaumasia– Lava tubes – Layered mesas – Patterned ground – Wind abraded/etched landscapes– Dune fields – Evidence of mass wasting

Page 5: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Valleys dominated by fluvial processes:– Possibly precipitation-fed overland and

channelized surface flow– Echus Chasma (Mars Odyssey Themis)– Echus Chasma (Mars Express)

Page 6: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Valleys dominated by fluvial processes:– Possibly precipitation-fed

overland and channelized surface flow– Echus

Page 7: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes• Valleys dominated by

fluvial processes:– Possibly precipitation-fed

overland and channelized surface flow (L to R)

– Terra Sirenum

– Warrego Vallis, in Thaumasia Highlands

– Nanedi Vallis

Page 8: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes• Valleys dominated by fluvial processes:

– Possibly lake overflow channels– Ma’adim Vallis, pouring into Gusev Crater,

where Spirit landed– Elsewhere on Nanedi Vallis– Nirgal Vallis west of Chryse Trough

Page 9: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes• Valleys dominated by fluvial processes:

– Possibly alluvial fans and deltas– Melas

Page 10: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Valleys dominated by fluvial processes:– Possibly alluvial fans and deltas

– Eberswalde Crater near Holden Crater

Page 11: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes• Valleys dominated by fluvial processes:

– Possibly lake overflow channels: non-equilibrium systems– Argyre, Holden, Aram craters, Ares Vallis– Ma'adim upland lakes to Gusev?

Page 12: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes• Valleys dominated by fluvial

processes:– Possibly jökulhlaup-like outflows

– Kasei Vallis– Ares Vallis

Page 13: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes• Valleys dominated by fluvial

processes:– Possibly jökulhlaup-like outflows

– Ares Vallis– Aram Chaos and collapsed terrain

Page 14: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes• Valleys dominated by fluvial

processes:– Possibly jökulhlaup-like outflows

– Dao, Niger, and Harmakhis valles in Hellas Planitia

Page 15: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes• Valleys dominated by fluvial

processes:– Possibly jökulhlaup-like outflows

– Chasma Borealis– Kathryn Fischbaugh and James

Head created a topographic map and profiles and used them to estimate volume of a catastrophic melt (perhaps subsurface vulcanism): 26,000 km3!

– Picked out deposits from such an event: could fill lowest portion of north polar basin to a few 10s of m!

Page 16: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Alcoves, channels, aprons:– Groundwater sapping

– Earth on right: Mt. St. Helens– Martian crater gully on left: MGS’ Mars Orbital Camera (~-55 at 18)

Page 17: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Alcoves, channels, aprons:– Groundwater sapping

– Earth on top: sides of Houghton Crater, Devon Island, Canada – North of Baffin Island– Only Earth crater on a

polar desert surface– Site of NASA-

Houghton Project– Martian crater gully on left:

MGS’ Mars Orbital Camera (where?)

Page 18: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Alcoves, channels, aprons:– Groundwater sapping

– Fresh gullying– MGS’ Mars Orbital Camera

Page 19: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Alcoves, channels, aprons:– Groundwater sapping

– The triple point of water – Ways around that little

issue:– Deep elevations– Fluids with lower freezing

Page 20: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Linear fossæ and catenæ:– Extensional stress, faulting, downdropping of terrain between

faults– Cerberus Fossæ

Page 21: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Linear fossæ and catenæ:– Extensional stress, faulting, downdropping of terrain between faults

– Claritas Fossæ

Page 22: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Linear fossæ and catenæ:– Extensional stress, faulting,

downdropping of terrain between faults– Alba Patera Fossæ

Page 23: Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

C.M. Rodrigue, 2014Geography, CSULB

Mars: Fourth Order Landscapes

• Linear fossæ and catenæ:– Extensional stress, possibly with fluid extraction and subsidence

– Tithonium Catenæ– Coprates Catenæ