Abstract
The complex valley networks that cross the Martian surface offer geomorphologic evidence of the presence of liquid water at some point in its history. However, the derivation of both temporal and hydrological dimensions of this climate phase is far from settled. Studies comparing terrestrial fluvial networks of known formation environments with those on Mars can be used as a key to unlock the past. This work represents an analogy study and comparison between the river networks in the Qaidam Basin and those on Mars. As the Martian valley networks formed in different geologic periods with characteristic and unique features, three cases from the Noachian to the Amazonian were selected to be compared with streams in the Mangya area, where the climate is extremely arid. In terms of the maturity of the dendritic river system, shape, concave index, and branching angle (BA), the valley network in the Mangya area is comparable to Naktong Vallis, dated to the Hesperian. We also calculated throughout the valley networks on Mars the parameters of the BA and the concave index, both of which are important climatic indicators. The results show that the climate on Mars became progressively more arid, starting from the Noachian up to the Amazonian.
Highlights
The ancient fluvial systems on Mars, branching channel systems known as “valley networks”, are considered one of the most compelling pieces of evidence that liquid water was once stable on Mars’ surface [1,2,3]
The results show that the characteristics of the valley networks in the Qaidam Basin are similar to the valley networks of the Noachian and Hesperian on
Photos of the streams on the Qaidam Basin were collected during the fieldwork, Tula trough, a paleo-river that developed along the north of the Altyn Tagh strike-slip fault providing evidence that a river once crossed the valley
Summary
The ancient fluvial systems on Mars, branching channel systems known as “valley networks”, are considered one of the most compelling pieces of evidence that liquid water was once stable on Mars’ surface [1,2,3]. The formative processes of how the thousand-meter-wide valley network cuts through the bedrock are unclear. Due to the uncertainty of the valley incision processes, the corresponding climatic conditions are unclear, and the potential past habitability of Mars needs to be further assessed. Valley networks are widely distributed across the Martian surface (60◦ S –60◦ N), and are thought to have formed during wet periods, ranging from the end of the Noachian to that of the early Hesperian, that produced dendritic valley networks [1]. Prior work explored how the geometry of channel networks can provide insight into how they formed, and help constrain Mars’
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