| Athabasca Valles |
| Coordinates |
8.6° N, 205.0°W |
| Length |
285.0 km |
| Naming |
River in Canada. (Changed from Athabasca Vallis.) |
|
|
Athabasca Valles is a valley on Mars, the youngest known channel cut into its surface by catastrophic flooding.[1] The flood produced distinctive "teardrop" landforms similar to those found in the channeled scabland region of the United States on Earth.[2] It is thought that these landforms were produced though depositional processes wherein the floodwaters dropped sediment behind resistant bedrock outcroppings and craters.[3] The source of water for the flood is thought to be Cerberus Fossae.[3]
Around 80% of the craters in Athabasca Valles are secondary craters from the impact that created Zunil crater. [4]
References
|
