Martian Layered Fluvial Deposits: Implications for Noachian Climate Scenarios

Fluvial deposits in a basin north of Holden crater exhibiting a sinuous, anabranching pattern are of deltaic or fan origin. Channel width and meander wavelength indicate persistent flow magnitudes of about 700 m 3 /s. If these flows were produced by quasi‐periodic climate episodes involving typical terrestrial‐style precipitation, the deposit required thousands to millions of years to accumulate. However, a scenario of deposition during a few short episodes of constant heavy precipitation resulting from large impacts cannot be excluded.