Mangala Valles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mangala Valles
Coordinates 11°36′S 151°00′W / 11.6°S 151.0°W / -11.6; -151.0Coordinates: 11°36′S 151°00′W / 11.6°S 151.0°W / -11.6; -151.0
Length 828.0
Naming Word for "Mars" in Sanskrit.

Mangala Valles is a complex system of criss-crossing channels on Mars, located in the Tharsis region originating in the Amazonian epoch. It is thought to be an outflow channel, carved by catastrophic and release of vast quantities of water across the Martian surface. This flooding was probably initiated by tectonic stretching and the formation of a graben at the channels' head, perhaps breaching a pressurized aquifer trapped beneath a thick "cryosphere" (layer of frozen ground) beneath the surface.[1][2][3][4][5]

Mangala Valles contains several basins which filled, then the overflow went through a series of spillways.[6] [7] One source of waters for the system was Memonia Fossae, but water also probably came from a large basin centered at 40 degrees S.[8] [9]

There are many wind-sculpted ridges or yardangs covering many of the surfaces in the Mangala Valles region.[10][11]

"Mangala" comes from the word for Mars in Sanskrit.

Mangala Valles is referred to in Michael Crichton's book Sphere. In Stephen Baxter's novel Voyage, it is the location of the first manned Mars landing.

References

  1. http://www.msss.com/http/ps/channels/channels.html
  2. Michael H. Carr (2006). The surface of Mars. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-87201-0. Retrieved 21 March 2011. 
  3. Carr, M. 1979. Formation of martian flood features by release of water from confined aquifers. J. Geophys. Res. 84: 2995-3007.
  4. ISBN 978-0-521-87501-0
  5. Hanna, J. and R. Phillips. 2005. Tectonic pressurization of aquifers in the formation of Mangala and Athabasca Valles on Mars. LPSC XXXVI. Abstract 2261.
  6. Cabrol, N. and E. Grin (eds.). 2010. Lakes on Mars. Elsevier. NY.
  7. Emrick, C. and R. De Hon. 1999. Flood discharge through Labou Vallis, Mars. Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf. XXX: Abstract #1893.
  8. Zimbelman, J. et al. 1992. Volatile history of Mangala Valles, Mars. J. Geophys. Res. 97: 18309-18317
  9. De Hon, R. 1994. Lacustrine sedimentation in lower Mangals Valles. Mars Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf. XXVII: 295-296
  10. Catalog Page for PIA03827
  11. The Planet Mars: A History of Observation and Discovery. Chapter 12: Mariner 9. University of Arizona Press
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.