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Major Episodes of the Hydrologic History in the Region of Hesperia Planum, Mars M JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 110, E12S21, doi:10.1029/2005JE002420, 2005 Major episodes of the hydrologic history in the region of Hesperia Planum, Mars M. A. Ivanov,1,2 J. Korteniemi,2 V.-P. Kostama,2 M. Aittola,2 J. Raitala,2 M. Glamoclija,3 L. Marinangeli,3 and G. Neukum4 Received 15 February 2005; revised 11 August 2005; accepted 15 August 2005; published 15 December 2005. [1] The High Resolution Stereo Color camera (HRSC) data over Hesperia Planum and its surroundings reveal important details of geologic episodes and water-related processes in this region. (1) The Noachian fluvial events of Hesperia Planum depression included accumulation of water and formation of a water/ice reservoir there. Later, the reservoir was depleted in several phases reflecting diminishing amounts of water. Climate changes and/or volcanism were important in these volatile releases. (2) The massive, 0.45–1.5 Â 106 km3, erosion from the Hesperia depression before the main lava eruption possibly resulted in thick, 0.5–1.5 km, deposits in Hellas Planitia. (3) Measurements of the flooded craters within Hesperia Planum provide the estimates of the thickness of lavas there, about 250–500 m. The final volume of lavas within Hesperia Planum (0.4–0.7 Â 106 km3) is comparable with the range of some terrestrial igneous provinces such as Columbia River Basalts. (4) Extended magmatism possibly triggered formation of the outflow channel in a few locations after the lava emplacement. During this episode, about 0.04 Â 106 km3 of material (about 4.5–8.9% of the volume eroded in the episode of massive erosion) were removed. The thickness of the composite lava layer exposed on the walls of the outflow channels, a few hundreds of meters, corresponds well to the thickness estimates made by the measurements of the flooded craters. (5) Dispersed viscous flows (debris aprons, flow-like deposits) reflect the final fluvial events. Viscous flows from the subsurface sources in the Southwestern trough associate with Dao, Niger, and Harmakhis Valles. These flows represent the final volatile discharge from the Hesperia reservoir that mostly was depleted by the earlier events of massive erosion and formation of the outflow channels. Viscous surface flows are mostly associated with Reull Vallis and probably reflect redistribution of volatiles related to the late episodes of evolution of this outflow channel. Citation: Ivanov, M. A., J. Korteniemi, V.-P. Kostama, M. Aittola, J. Raitala, M. Glamoclija, L. Marinangeli, and G. Neukum (2005), Major episodes of the hydrologic history in the region of Hesperia Planum, Mars, J. Geophys. Res., 110, E12S21, doi:10.1029/2005JE002420. 1. Introduction Planum, which is covered by vast wrinkle ridged plains, is less cratered [Scott and Carr, 1978; Tanaka, 1986], [2] The elevated volcanic plateau of Hesperia Planum smoother, and appears to be within a broad and shallow [Carr et al., 1977; Greeley and Spudis, 1981], which is topographic depression. about 1300 by 1700 km across and has the area about 1.5 Â [3] The region was extensively studied since the Mariner 106 km2, is situated in the northeastern portion of the broad 9 mission, in particular, through geological mapping [Potter, rim of the Hellas impact basin. The heavily cratered 1976; King, 1978]. On the basis of Viking data, series of Noachian terrains [e.g., Greeley and Guest, 1987] form regional (1:15,000,000 scale) [Greeley and Guest, 1987] the majority of the rim while the surface of Hesperia and detailed local (1:500,000 to 1:1,000,000 scale) geolog- ical maps were compiled for Hesperia Planum and the 1Laboratory of Comparative Planetology, Vernadsky Institute of surrounding uplands [Gregg et al., 1998; Price, 1998; Mest Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, RAS, Moscow, Russia. 2Astronomy Division, Department of Physical Sciences, University of and Crown, 2002a, 2002b]. The mapping results and more Oulu, Oulu, Finland. topical studies of specific features [Malin,1976;Pieri, 3International Research School of Planetary Sciences, Universita’ 1976, 1980; Greeley and Spudis, 1981; Greeley and d’Annunzio, Pescara, Italy. 4 Crown, 1990; Crown and Greeley, 1993; Maxwell and Institut fu¨r Geologische Wissenschaften, Department of Earth Craddock, 1995; Gregg et al., 1998] have shown that Sciences, Freie Universita¨t Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Hesperia Planum and the surrounding uplands host an array Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union. of volcanic landforms such as volcanic plains and two low 0148-0227/05/2005JE002420$09.00 volcanic centers, Hadriaca and Tyrrhena Paterae [Greeley E12S21 1of28 E12S21 IVANOV ET AL.: HYDROLOGIC HISTORY, MARS E12S21 and Spudis, 1981; Greeley and Crown, 1990; Crown and located in the northwest-central portion of Hesperia Planum Greeley, 1993; Gregg et al., 1998], and fluvial structures and is about 1.5 km higher than the surrounding terrain; such as valley networks and large outflow channels (2) the provisionally named Morpheos basin, an elongated [Masursky et al., 1977; Carr and Clow, 1981; Mars topographic low stretched in west-east direction in the Channel Working Group, 1983; Carr, 1995, 1996; Tanaka southeastern portion of Hesperia Planum between about and Leonard, 1995; Scott et al., 1995; Carr and Chuang, 35–40°S and 225–240°W; (3) a relatively narrow (200 km 1997; Mest and Crown, 2001]. across), southwest-trending depression, informally named [4] The valley networks occur within the cratered uplands the Southwestern trough, in the southwestern corner of on both sides of Hesperia Planum and are thought to be Hesperia Planum. Noachian in age [Malin, 1976; Pieri, 1976; Carr and Clow, [7] In order to assess the topographic configuration of 1981; Scott et al., 1995; Carr, 1996]. Vast wrinkle ridged Hesperia Planum relative to the background of the Hellas plains covering the surface of Hesperia define the base of rim, we have constructed a circum-Hellas topographic the Hesperian Period of the Martian stratigraphy [Tanaka, profile along a circle centered at 41°S, 68°E with a radius 1986; Tanaka et al., 1992]. The plains most likely have 2300 km. The profile crosses the central portion of volcanic origin and have been interpreted to consist of Hesperia Planum in general direction from the south to relatively thin lava flows [Greeley and Spudis, 1981; northwest (Figure 1a) and consists of 144 points that are Greeley and Guest, 1987]. Tyrrhena Patera shows evidence 2.5° apart. Each point corresponds to the average elevation of a very long eruption history including late-stage effusive in a 1 Â 1° box; the data were collected from the MOLA and early explosive episodes [Greeley and Crown, 1990; gridded topography map with the resolution 1/64 degree. Crown et al., 1992; Crown and Greeley, 1993; Gregg et al., The profile shows that the elevations along the Hellas rim 1998]. Materials of the ridged plains embay shield members broadly follow a sine-like line that is lower within Prom- of Tyrrhena Patera and may have been erupted from local, ethei Terra east of the Hellas floor. The Noachian-age presently buried fissures [Leonard and Tanaka, 2001]. terrains of Noachis, Tyrrhena, and Promethei Terrae are Activity at the volcano of Tyrrhena Patera probably extended characterized by significant topographic variations (up to into the late Hesperian to Early Amazonian [Crown et al., 1.5 km), whereas the surface of Hesperia Planum is much 1992; Gregg et al., 1998]. Large outflow channels (Dao, smoother except for the topographic peak of Tyrrhena Niger, Harmakhis, and Reull Valles), which are among the Patera (Figure 1b). As a whole, Hesperia Planum is on a most spectacular fluvial features of Hesperia Planum, were broad regional slope between Tyrrhena and Promethei apparently formed during the Hesperian [Malin, 1976; Terrae. Masursky et al., 1977; Greeley and Guest, 1987] and [8] The segment of the profile corresponding to Hesperia possibly into the Amazonian [Scott et al., 1995]. Abundant Planum is shown in Figure 2. The mean elevation within debris aprons and flow-like features, the formation of which Hesperia along the profile (excluding Tyrrhena Patera) is likely requires the presence of ground ice [Squyres, 1979; about 1100 m and the mean elevations within Promethei and Squyres and Carr, 1986; Carr, 1996], represent the latest Tyrrhena Terrae are about 1300 m and about 2000 m, (Amazonian) structures related to release of volatiles (water) respectively. Thus the area of Hesperia Planum represents [Crown et al., 2002, 2003; Berman et al., 2003]. a distinct topographic low bordered on both sides by [5] Thus both volcanic and fluvial processes have punc- elevated Noachian terrains. tuated the history of Hesperia Planum during a large time [9] The surface of Hesperia Planum, which is slightly span from the Noachian to Amazonian Periods. The possi- tilted to the south at the mean regional slope about 0.03°, ble interactions of these processes likely represent the main consists of two parts separated by a break of slope that theme of the evolution of Hesperia and possibly the history occur in the profile at about 32°S, 247°W. The first, which of deposition from this particular region to the Hellas basin is essentially horizontal and hosts Tyrrhena Patera, charac- as well. The main goal of out study is to suggest a coherent terizes the northwestern portion of Hesperia Planum. The scenario of hydrologic history of Hesperia Planum based on Morpheos trough, which is about 750–800 m deeper than existing and newly acquired data sets. In this paper we both the rest of Hesperia to the northwest and the cratered outline the most important features in the region of Hesperia uplands of Terra Promethei to the south (Figure 2), charac- Planum and correlate temporally the processes that led to terizes the second part. their formation using all available images and topographic [10] Although the circum-Hellas profile displays the data such as the MOLA-gridded topography (both 64 and general topographic characteristics of the region of Hesperia 128 px/deg resolution), Viking MDIMs, Mars Observer Planum, it crosses boundary of Hesperia only at two points.
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