Porosity of the primal regolith of Mars and implications for the origin of runoff channels and the state of the paleoclimate

Abstract

The porous state of the early Martian regolith, due to constant impact gardening by the impactors of the heavy bombardment period means this surface layer should have been able to hold pockets of subsurface water that could be responsible for runoff channel formation upon exposure to the planet's surface. This explanation of the runoff channel formation/heavy bombardment time correlation early in Mars history indicates a warm paleoclimate is not necessary in explaining the presence of runoff channels.