Volcanic activity might have triggered catastrophic floods in Mars, says ESA
15 Oct 2015
Catastrophic flooding triggered by ice melting from the heat of volcanic activity is thought to be responsible for the chaotic scenery depicted in this region of the Mangala Valles channel network, says a new study by the European Space Agency (ESA).
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| Perspective view of eroded crater in Mangala Valles |
Using images taken by the high-resolution stereo camera on ESA's Mars Express on 12 July just to the south of the mouth of Minio Vallis, a region which is part of the Mangala Valles outflow channel system, ESA researchers have found that the catastrophic floods have been caused by the volcanoes in the southwestern portion of the Tharsis bulge.
The region's proximity to these volcanic giants likely played an important role in creating the channels, which were carved by large volumes of flowing water, according to ESA.
The source of the water is believed to be related to the formation of the Mangala Fossae, an east–west fault system spanning several hundreds of kilometres to the south of the region.
There, hot, molten rock could have reached the surface in an episode of increased volcanic activity during the formation of the Tharsis bulge.
This volcanic activity might have triggered the melting of subsurface ice, and consequently the formation of the water-carved channels.
Several basins and impact craters were also filled with water, with overflows flushing through multiple spillways and towards Amazonis Planitia, the lowlands to the north.
Some of the craters have been filled with water and sediments and later eroded back again. That explains 'chaotic terrain' characterised by isolated blocks of surface material that have been chaotically arranged during the release of subsurface water and subsequent surface collapse.
Mangala Valles is estimated to have been created during the Hesperian epoch about 3.5 billion years ago, with episodes of both volcanic and flooding activity likely continuing into the Amazonian age, perhaps as recently as a few hundred million years ago.
