Deciphering Martian Flood Infiltration Processes at Hebrus Valles: Insights From Laboratory Experiments and Remote Sensing Observations

In evaluating the unique geomorphology of Hebrus Valles on Mars, an outflow channel southeast of Utopia Planitia, we investigated the role of fluvial dynamics in forming subsurface conduits. Unlike typical Martian channels that terminate under younger sediment rocks, Hebrus Valles retains its downst...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geophysical research. Planets 2024-01, Vol.129 (1), p.n/a
Main Authors: Costard, F., Rodriguez, J. A. P., Godin, E., Séjourné, A., Kargel, J. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Caves
Channels
Conduits
experimentation
Experiments
Floods
Floodwater
Geomorphology
Hebrus
Laboratory experiments
Mars
Mars surface
outflow
permafrost
Plains
Regolith
Remote sensing
Sinkholes
Water flow
Water outflow
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Summary:In evaluating the unique geomorphology of Hebrus Valles on Mars, an outflow channel southeast of Utopia Planitia, we investigated the role of fluvial dynamics in forming subsurface conduits. Unlike typical Martian channels that terminate under younger sediment rocks, Hebrus Valles retains its downstream features, thus offering a window into surface and subsurface interactions between liquid water and regolith. Employing physical lab simulations, we utilized buried polygonal tunneling configurations in a sandy matrix to replicate the incision features observed at the channel's terminus. This study provides the first lab‐based evidence demonstrating the role of conduits in conveying large floods in the Hebrus Valles. Our results lend support to the interpretation that Hebrus Valles conveyed high‐volume floods by demonstrating that conduits are necessary to form the features observed on the surface of Hebrus Valles. The experiments also highlight the role of sinkholes as floodwater capture points, which suggests the formation of a regional interconnected network of subsurface channels and caverns. These findings affirm that fluvial dynamics in Hebrus Valles could have expanded subsurface discontinuities into functioning conduit systems, potentially directing floodwaters through an interconnected subterranean network. Plain Language Summary Many channels on Mars end in areas hidden beneath younger layers in the northern plains. Hebrus Valles, southeast of Utopia Planitia, is unique because its lower parts are preserved as a mix of surface flows and underground pathways. Our investigation simulated the self‐organization of surface‐to‐underground water flow via the formation of an underground network of channels. We performed experiments in the lab using tunnel‐shaped structures in sand to copy the features found at the end of Hebrus Valles. This is the first lab evidence showing that surface features on Mars can be interpreted as having been formed by megafloods of water pouring into the ground in a reversal of outbursts of floods. Our experiments also show that sinkholes help connect different channels and caves in the area, which probably played a big part in helping floodwater “disappear” into the ground in Hebrus Valles. Key Points Hebrus Valles Mars shows fluvially dissected sinkholes, suggesting that enormous conduits served as megaflood subsurface evacuation routes We conducted a series of flume experiments to simulate infiltration patterns through sinkh
ISSN:2169-9097
2169-9100
DOI:10.1029/2023JE007770