Mawrth Vallis
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| Mawrth Vallis | |
| Coordinates | 22.6° N, 16.5°W |
|---|---|
| Length | 636.0 km |
| Naming | Welsh word for "Mars". |
Mawrth Vallis is a valley on Mars at 22.3°N, 343.5°E with an elevation of ≈−2 km. It is an ancient water outflow channel with light-coloured clay-rich rocks.
Mawrth Vallis is one of the oldest valleys on Mars. It was formed in and subsequently covered by layered rocks, from beneath which it is now being exhumed.[1]
The Mawrth Vallis region holds special interest because of the presence of phyllosilicate (clay) minerals which form only if water is available, first identified in data from the OMEGA spectrometer on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars has identified aluminum-rich and iron-rich clays, each with a unique distribution. On Earth such clays occur in (among other environments) weathered volcanic rocks and hydrothermal systems, where volcanic activity and water interact.[2]
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