Publication Date:
2019
Description:
Abstract
Deltaic deposits mapped along the martian crustal dichotomy boundary scarp have been suggested to delineate an ancient ocean in the northern lowlands of Mars. Using recently acquired orbital data, we have expanded the dichotomy delta inventory and performed an updated analysis of delta front elevations, a proxy for paleo‐water levels. Our analysis focused near Gale crater, home of the Curiosity rover. We found that delta front elevations vary by ca. 2400 meters, but these elevation variations do not correspond to modeled deformation from true polar wander or Tharsis. Locally, delta front elevations vary by ≤60 meters, and using present‐day topography, they correspond to distinct enclosed basins. We infer that these deltas formed in paleo‐lakes up to ca. 13,000 km2 and ca. 0.4 kilometers deep, perhaps coeval with paleo‐lakes in Gale. Our results suggest that a northern ocean is not needed to explain the deltaic deposits in the Gale crater region.
Print ISSN:
0094-8276
Electronic ISSN:
1944-8007
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
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