Age and Characteristics of Martian Valley Networks

A valley network system in Arabia Terra.

CEPS Staff: Dr. Robert Craddock Dr. Ross Irwin

Valley networks represent some of the strongest evidence that liquid water was once stable on the martian surface. However, it is not clear what kind of environmental conditions were present as the valley networks were forming. Confounding this problem is the fact that we also have a poor understanding as to when the valley networks were actually forming. Our approach is to combine imagery and remote sensing data to first map and characterize the location of valley networks, and then to use traditional crater counting techniques to determine their ages. Our goal is to determine when valley network were forming and to locate the oldest and most long-lived fluvial systems on Mars.

Dr. Craddock's Homepage
Dr. Irwin's Homepage

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