The relation of catastrophic flooding of Mangala Valles, Mars, to faulting of Memnonia Fossae and Tharsis volcanism

Conference · Thu Aug 30 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

OSTI ID:5313848

Tanaka, K L; Chapman, M G ^[1]

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1. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, AZ (USA)

Detailed stratigraphic relations indicate two coeval periods of catastrophic flooding and Tharsis-centered faulting (producing Memnonia Fossae) in the Mangala Valles region of Mars. Major sequences of lava flows of the Tharsis Montes Formation and local, lobate plains flows were erupted during and between these channeling and faulting episodes. First, Late Hesperian channel development overlapped in time the Tharsis-centered faulting that trends north 75{degree} to 90{degree}E. Next, Late Hesperian/Early Amazonian flooding was coeval with faulting that trends north 55{degree} to 70{degree}E. In some reaches, resistant lava flows filled the early channels, resulting in inverted channel topography after the later flooding swept through. Both floods likely originated from the same graben, which probably was activated during each episode of faulting. Faulting broke through groundwater barriers and tapped confined aquifers in higher regions west and east of the point of discharge. The minimum volume of water required to erode Mangala Valles (about 5 {times} 10{sup 12} m{sup 3}) may have been released through two floods that drained a few percent pore volume from a relatively permeable aquifer. The peak discharges of the floods may have lasted from days to weeks. The perched water discharged from the aquifer may have been produced by hydrothermal groundwater circulation induced by Tharsis magmatism, tectonic uplift centered at Tharsis Montes, and compacting of saturated crater ejecta due to loading by lava flows.

• OSTI ID: 5313848
• Report Number(s): CONF-9001119-; CODEN: JGREA; TRN: 91-023771
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 95:B9; Conference: 4. international conference on Mars, Tucson, AZ (United States), 10-13 Jan 1990; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MARS PLANET
GEOLOGY
AQUIFERS
EROSION
FLOODS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
LAVA
ORIGIN
STRATIGRAPHY
VOLCANISM
WATER
DISASTERS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANETS
640107* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Planetary Phenomena