Cataloging Common Sedimentary and Deformation Features in Valles Marineris

Abstract:

The sedimentary deposits in the Valles Marineris region of Mars are investigated to build a catalog of sedimentary and deformational features. The occurrence of these features provides new and important constraints on the origins of these sedimentary deposits and of their broader geologic histories. Regional surveys and mapping of these features is warranted given the plethora of recently acquired observations by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Select sedimentary and deformational features were identified using High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) observations and stereo pairs, along with Context camera images. Feature locations were cataloged using Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing (JMARS) the geospatial information system. Images acquired in and around Hebes, Ophir, Tithonium, Candor, Ius, Melas and Coprates Chasmata were the focus of this investigation.

Mass wasting processes, soft-sediment deformation structures, and fan-like deposits are known to occur in abundance across the Valles Marineris region. For this reason, the features recorded in this investigation were landslides, contorted bedding, injectites, putative mud volcanoes, faults, folds, and fan-shaped deposits. Landslides, faults, and fan-shaped deposits were found to be common occurrences, while contorted bedding, injectites, putative mud volcanoes, and folds occur less frequently and in clusters. The placement and frequency of these features hint at past tectonic and depositional processes at work in Valles Marineris. This catalogue of sedimentary and deformational features in the Valles Marineris region of Mars is being used to define targets for future HiRISE observations.