GEOMORPHIC MAPPING OF SMALL LANDSLIDES NEAR ARAM CHAOS

An east-west channel (located at 341°E and 3°N) connects Aram Chaos to Ares Valles. The valley is approximately 80 km long, 12 km wide, and 1.5 km deep. The channel is filled with a unique suite of slope failures or landslides that form lobate aprons covering the valley floor. These landslides are an order of magnitude smaller than the large runout Martian landslides. Previously presented results characterized 6 of the landslides using gridded MOLA topography from JMARS including area, drop height, and run out distance to understand their flow dynamics. This study presents the results of geomorphic surface mapping to determine the relationship between the landslide aprons along the north and possible deposits along the south facing slopes of the channel. Here we present results related to the deflation on the landslide aprons, relative timing of landslide formation relative to each other, and the relationship between the landslides and the valley floor. We compare the channel walls to other areas to examine why these small landslides formed in this particular location.