Ganges Chasma

Rift Valley on Mars

Ganges Chasma

Left: a cliff on the northern edge, on a picture from THEMIS ; right: topographical overview with left section in red frame

position

8 ° N , 48 ° W Coordinates: 8 ° N , 48 ° W

expansion

584 km

region

Xantha's Terra

history

Named after

Ganges

Ganges Chasma is a deep canyon on Mars . It was named in 1973 after the Ganges in South Asia.

description

Ganges Chasma is located in the south of the highlands of Xanthe Terra , at the eastern end of the extensive system of the Vallis Marineris . The gorge is 584 km long and contains the 136 km wide plateau of the Ganges Mensa. In the east of the Chasma , Capri Chasma joins. It is believed that Ganges Chasma was formed by a sequence of large outflows of water and CO ₂ from chaotic terrain such as Ganges Chaos in the south. Additionally, most of the evidence is believed to have been washed out. First a branch developed which connected with Capri Chasma and the connected outflow channels in the east. In the meantime, during the Noachian period , there may have been a lake with an outflow to the north, partly underground in the Shalbatana Vallis .

Detail gallery

Lighter, more eroded deposits on darker layers
Sediment layers on the upper slope in higher image resolution
Landslide on the northwest slope
"Dust devil" in the Ganges Chasma

Individual evidence

^ Ganges Chasma in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature of the IAU (WGPSN) / USGS
^ Ganges canteen in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature of the IAU (WGPSN) / USGS
↑ ^a ^b J. Rodriguez AP, J. Kargel, DA Crown, LF Bleamaster, KL Tanaka, V. Baker, H. Miyamoto, JM Dohm, S. Sasaki, G. Komatsu: Head Ward growth of chasmata by volatile outbursts, collapse, and drainage: Evidence from Ganges chaos, Mars . In: Geophysical Research Letters . 33, No. 18, September 2006, ISSN 0094-8276 . doi : 10.1029 / 2006GL026275 .
↑ JAP Rodriguez, S. Sasaki, H. Miyamoto: Nature and hydrological relevance of the Shalbatana complex underground cavernous system . In: Geophysical Research Letters . 30, No. 6, 2003, ISSN 0094-8276 . doi : 10.1029 / 2002GL016547 .

[1] Ganges Chasma in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature of the IAU (WGPSN) / USGS

[2] Ganges canteen in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature of the IAU (WGPSN) / USGS

[RodriguezKargel2006-3] J. Rodriguez AP, J. Kargel, DA Crown, LF Bleamaster, KL Tanaka, V. Baker, H. Miyamoto, JM Dohm, S. Sasaki, G. Komatsu: Head Ward growth of chasmata by volatile outbursts, collapse, and drainage: Evidence from Ganges chaos, Mars . In: Geophysical Research Letters . 33, No. 18, September 2006, ISSN 0094-8276 . doi : 10.1029 / 2006GL026275 .

[Rodriguez2003-4] JAP Rodriguez, S. Sasaki, H. Miyamoto: Nature and hydrological relevance of the Shalbatana complex underground cavernous system . In: Geophysical Research Letters . 30, No. 6, 2003, ISSN 0094-8276 . doi : 10.1029 / 2002GL016547 .