| Shalbatana Vallis | |
|---|---|
| Naming | Word for "Mars" in Akkadian. |
Shalbatana Vallis is an ancient water-worn channel on Mars, located in the Oxia Palus quadrangle at 7.8° north latitude and 42.1° west longitude. It is the westernmost of the southern Chryse outflow channels. Beginning in a zone of chaotic terrain, at 0° latitude and 46° W longitude, it ends in Chryse Planitia.[1]
Shalbatana Vallis contains our first definitive evidence of a Martian shoreline. This shoreline was part of an ancient lake 80 square miles (210 km2) in size and 1,500 feet (460 m) deep. The study carried out with HiRISE images indicates that water formed a 30 miles (48 km) long canyon that opened up into a valley, deposited sediment, and created a delta. This delta and others around the basin imply the existence of a large, long-lived lake. Of special interest is evidence that the lake formed after the warm, wet period was thought to have ended. So, lakes may have been around much longer than previously thought. [2][3]
It is the word for "Mars" in Akkadian.[4]