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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 33, L18202, doi:10.1029/2006GL027346, 2006

Topographically derived maps of valley networks and drainage density in the Mare Tyrrhenum quadrangle on Mars

W. Luo

Department of Geography, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA


T. F Stepinski

Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, Texas, USA


Abstract

A novel, automated technique for delineating Martian valley networks from digital terrain data is applied to the Mare Tyrrhenum quadrangle on Mars, yielding a detailed map for the entire quadrangle. The resultant average value of drainage density for the Noachian part of the quadrangle is D ≈ 0.05 km−1, an order of magnitude higher than the value inferred from a global map based on Viking images, and comparable to the values inferred from the precision mapping of selected focus sites. Valleys are omnipresent in Noachian terrain even outside the “highly dissected” Npld unit. This suggests fluvial erosion throughout the Noachian, implying widespread precipitation. The map of continuous drainage density is constructed to study spatial variations of D. This map reveals significant variations in degree of dissection in Noachian on scale of >100 km. These variations do not correlate with any terrain parameter and their origin requires further study.

Received 24 June 2006; accepted 14 August 2006; published 21 September 2006.

Index Terms: 1824 Hydrology: Geomorphology: general (1625); 5415 Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Erosion and weathering; 5419 Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Hydrology and fluvial processes.

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Citation: Luo, W., and T. F. Stepinski (2006), Topographically derived maps of valley networks and drainage density in the Mare Tyrrhenum quadrangle on Mars, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L18202, doi:10.1029/2006GL027346.