GEOMORPHOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR PALEOLAKE FORMATION IN DEUTERONILUS MENSAE, MARS

Abstract

The current cold and dry climatic conditions on Mars are not suitable for hosting an active hydrosphere. Despite this, there is an abundance of observational evidence suggesting that liquid water once was stable on Mars’ surface. Meaning that the Martian climate must have been able to sustain liquid water in the past and undergone a drastic climatic change. Details regarding the spatial and temporal extent of this past climate remains a topic of debate as climate models contradict observational evidence. This study aims to investigate the spatiotemporal timing of aqueous activity within a previously unexplored impact crater in Deuteronilus Mensae. Fluvial and lacustrine features were identified, analysed and mapped using remote sensing images and elevation models, to reconstruct the past hydrological conditions of the crater. Features indicating multiple events of fluvial activity were found. Four fan deposits interpreted as candidate deltas at similar elevation within the crater suggest that the crater once had a long standing body of water. Based on the candidate delta levels and the lowest point in the crater the paleolake is assumed to have been up to ~400 m deep.