GIS MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF BRANCHING VALLEY NETWORK DISTRIBUTION ON MARS

Branching valley networks in the Martian highlands may have formed as a result of rainfall and surface runoff, or they may have formed from other processes on a Mars without stable liquid water on its surface. New, detailed MOLA data make this question an ideal one for hydrologic analysis using GIS (e.g. Luo 2002). If ancient Mars was relatively warm and wet, with abundant precipitation, then the distribution of stream valley networks should be replicable by hydrologic runoff modeling. Valley networks produced by other processes would not necessarily be well modeled in this way. In addition, valley network distribution should display orographic effects resulting from the Martian topography existing at the time of valley formation. A preliminary valley network model produced in Arc/INFO matches actual imaged valley networks in some portions of the Martian highlands but not in others. An improved model may demonstrate topographic influences on valley network distribution.

Luo W (2002) JGR-Planets 107, 5071, doi: 10.1029/2001JE0015000.