Insights into surface runoff on early Mars from paleolake basin morphology and stratigraphy

Research Article| June 01, 2016 Insights into surface runoff on early Mars from paleolake basin morphology and stratigraphy Timothy A. Goudge; Timothy A. Goudge 1Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA *Current address: Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1722, USA; E-mail: tgoudge@jsg.utexas.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Caleb I. Fassett; Caleb I. Fassett 2Department of Astronomy, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar James W. Head; James W. Head 1Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John F. Mustard; John F. Mustard 1Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kelsey L. Aureli Kelsey L. Aureli 1Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Timothy A. Goudge *Current address: Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1722, USA; E-mail: tgoudge@jsg.utexas.edu. 1Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA Caleb I. Fassett 2Department of Astronomy, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075, USA James W. Head 1Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA John F. Mustard 1Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA Kelsey L. Aureli 1Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 27 Jan 2016 Revision Received: 05 Apr 2016 Accepted: 06 Apr 2016 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online Issn: 1943-2682 Print Issn: 0091-7613 © 2016 Geological Society of America Geology (2016) 44 (6): 419–422. https://doi.org/10.1130/G37734.1 Article history Received: 27 Jan 2016 Revision Received: 05 Apr 2016 Accepted: 06 Apr 2016 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Timothy A. Goudge, Caleb I. Fassett, James W. Head, John F. Mustard, Kelsey L. Aureli; Insights into surface runoff on early Mars from paleolake basin morphology and stratigraphy. Geology 2016;; 44 (6): 419–422. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G37734.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract We present observations on the morphology and stratigraphy of more than 400 paleolake basins on Mars. We show that there are two distinct classes of Martian paleolake basins: (1) paleolakes fed by regionally integrated valley networks (N = 251), and (2) paleolakes fed by isolated inlet valleys not integrated into broader regional drainage systems (N = 174). We conclude that valley network–fed paleolakes primarily formed prior to approximately the Noachian-Hesperian boundary, ca. 3.7 Ga, while isolated inlet valley paleolakes primarily formed later in Martian history. All 174 isolated inlet valley paleolakes are closed-basin lakes; however, there are surprisingly few (31) valley network–fed closed-basin lakes compared to a large number (220) of valley network–fed open-basin lakes. This observation is consistent with declining levels of fluvial activity over time on the Martian surface. Our results imply that during the era of valley network formation, ∼90% of topographic basins breached by an inlet valley had sufficiently high ratios of water influx to losses to fill, overtop, and form an outlet valley. This conclusion provides an important constraint on the balance between surface runoff production and water losses on early Mars that must be satisfied by any model of the early Martian climate and hydrologic cycle. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.