Scarp development in the Valles Marineris

Abstract

The scarps along the margins of the Vales Marineris display a complex assemblage of forms that have been related to a variety of mass wasting and sapping processes. These scarp segments display variations in the degree of development of spur and gully topography, the number and density of apparent sapping features and the frequency of large scale landslides which reflect the age, geology and processes of slope development throughout the Valles Marineris. This regional analysis should provide more information on the geologic evolution of the Valles Marineris as well as new insight into the relative importance of different processes in the development of the scarp forms. In order to evaluate the regional variation in scarp form and the influence of time and structure on scarp development geomorphic mapping and morphometric analysis of geologically distinct regions of Valles Marineris is being undertaken.