ROCK GLACIERS AND LAVA FLOWS IN THE DRY ANDES OF CHILE: AN ANALOGUE FOR MARS?

Numerous studies of geologic features on Mars suggest the presence of rock glaciers at or near the surface. Such features include lobate debris aprons, concentric crater fill, lineated valley fill, deep moraines, sublimation tills, spoon shaped hollows, arcuate and parallel ridges, and fan deposits. One terrestrial analogue for the release of water from Martian rock glaciers exists in the Rio Colorado Valley of the dry Andes in Chile. Using existing geologic mapping, remote sensing, and surface reconnaissance, the existence of a rock glacier at the head of a u-shaped valley in close proximity to Holocene lava flows within the u-shaped valley is documented. The lava flows originate from Volcan Tupungatito. The release of water through sudden melting of rock glaciers or subsurface ice deposits as a result of interaction of lava and rock glaciers may provide an analogue of processes acting on Mars.