DECIPHERING THE COMPLEX FAULT HISTORY OF THE CLARITAS REGION; MARS

The construction of the Tharsis rise dominated the geologic and tectonic histories of Mars. Located along the southeast margin of Tharsis, Claritas is a distinct promontory that centers among the greatest percentage of faults preserved in Noachian materials of the western hemisphere. Unraveling this complex array of faults associated with Claritas provides a key to understanding the early history of the Martian crust. In this study, we have examined the major fault systems within and surrounding the Claritas rise, which includes orientation, spatial association with other systems, and timing of formation, in order to better constrain the development of the rise with respect to pre- and incipient-Tharsis tectonism. To accomplish this goal, we utilized a preliminary geologic map of the Claritas region (Claritas Fossae: Longitude 248^o – 263^o east; latitude 12^o to 34^o south) at 1:1,000,000-scale. In this presentation, we present data from our continuing analysis of the major fault systems identified within the Claritas region.