Remote sensing survey of Valles Marineris: insights into magmatic and sedimentary processes on Mars

Valles Marineris is a unique vertical section through the uppermost kilometers of the martian crust; its location, east of Tharsis bulge, and its water-related history are responsible for a great diversity of rock types in this area. High resolution morphological (HiRISE) and mineralogical (CRISM) data from the MRO mission (NASA, 2006) available over the area were investigated. The walls of the canyons, the surrounding plateaus as well as the interior layered deposits were looked at in details as they were formed as the result of different processes. Their differences in aspect and composition were used to propose a chronology of events and a reconstitute the geological history of the area between 4.2 and 2 Gy.

Speaker: Jessica Flahaut, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam