Earth and Space News: Ma'adim Vallis channel Gusev Crater rim

Showing posts with label Ma'adim Vallis channel Gusev Crater rim. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Ma'adim Vallis Flows North to Debouch Over Gusev Crater's Southern Rim

Summary: Ancient channel Ma'adim Vallis flows north in the Martian southern hemisphere to its terminus on the southern interior floor of Gusev Crater.

Burial by younger deposits may have effected apparent termination of ancient channel Ma'adim Vallis on Gusev Crater's southern floor, or the channel may have continued underground via percolation into surface materials on the impact crater's floor; color image, with north at top, shows northward-flow of Ma'adim Vallis into Gusev Crater's south-southeastern rim, in an area extending latitudinally from minus 13 degrees south to minus 29 degrees south and longitudinally from 180 degrees east to 188 degrees east; composite of medium-resolution black-and-white images and low-resolution color images obtained as Visual Image Subsystem (VIS) Experiment Data Record (EDR) Image Archive by Viking Lander 1 and Viking Lander 2; image credit NASA/JPL/USGS; image addition date 1998-06-08: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal

Ancient Martian channel Ma'adim Vallis lengthily flows north to make its debouchement to Gusev Crater's southern interior floor by traversing the large impact crater's heavily modified south-southeastern rim.

Gusev Crater occupies the southeastern quadrant of the Martian southern hemisphere's Aeolis quadrangle. Designated as Mars Chart 23 (MC-23), the Aeolis quadrangle depicts Martian topography from zero degrees to minutes 30 degrees south latitude and from 180 degrees west to 225 degrees west longitude (180 degrees east to 135 degrees east longitude).

Gusev Crater is centered at minus 14.53 degrees south latitude, 175.52 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The impact crater's northernmost and southernmost latitudes span minus 13.20 degrees south to minus 15.86 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes stretch from 176.91 degrees east to 174.15 degrees east, respectively. Gusev Crater's diameter spans 158.12 kilometers.

Ma'adim Vallis associates with Gusev Crater as the endpoint of the ancient channel's northward flow. The "Martian channel system" originates in the highlands of the Martian southern hemisphere's Terra Cimmeria region, according to planetary geoscientist David W. Leverington in "Incision of Ma’adim Vallis (Mars) by dry volcanic megafloods effused from multiple highland sources," published in the Oct. 15, 2020, issue of Planetary and Space Science.

Terra Cimmeria spreads across two quadrangles. Its northern extent, which includes Ma'adim Vallis, reaches into the Aeolis quadrangle. The large region mostly occupies the Aeolis quadrangle's southern neighbor, the Eridania quadrangle, designated as Mars Chart 29 (MC-29).

Terra Cimmeria is centered at minus 32.68 degrees south latitude, 147.75 degrees east longitude. The vast, heavily cratered region spreads into the Martian northern hemisphere for its northernmost latitude of 12.13 minutes north latitude. Its southernmost latitude dips to minus 73.54 degrees south latitude. It expands its easternmost and westernmost longitudes to 179.66 degrees east and 98.79 degrees east, respectively. Terra Cimmeria's diameter spans 5,855.87 kilometers.

Geomorphic features of Ma'adim Vallis include inner channels, terraces and immature tributary valleys. Steep walls and flat floors characterize many reaches of the system's channels and valleys, as described by David Leverington.

Ma'adim Vallis is centered at minus 21.98 degrees south, 177.50 degrees east. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes parameterize at minus 15.61 degrees south and minus 28.15 degrees south, respectively. The outflow channel demarcates its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 178.38 degrees east and 175.65 degrees east, respectively. The valley system's diameter (length) spans 913.11 kilometers.

Ma'adim Vallis journeys through the superposition of New Plymouth Crater on Downe Crater at Gusev Crater's south-southeastern rim. The channel then settles on the interior floor of southern Gusev Crater.

The termination of Ma'adim Vallis on Gusev Crater's southern floor may be uncertain, according to "PIA00414: Ma'adim Vallis," published by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) Photojournal. Burial by younger deposits convey an impression of termination that may be apparent but not unequivocal. Percolation into surface materials on Gusev Crater's interior floor could have allowed Ma'adim Vallis to continue underground.

New Plymouth and Downe craters modify Gusev Crater's south-southeastern rim. In their overlap, New Plymouth assumes a more northerly position and Downe presents a more southerly placement.

New Plymouth Crater is centered at minus 15.78 degrees south, 175.87 degrees east. It considers its northernmost and southernmost latitudes as minus 15.51 degrees south and minus 16.04 degrees south, respectively. It assigns its easternmost and westernmost longitudes to 176.15 degrees east and 175.60 degrees east, respectively. New Plymouth Crater has a diameter of 31.54 kilometers.

Downe Crater is centered at minus 15.98 degrees south, 175.78 degrees east. It exerts its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 15.74 degrees south and minus 16.22 degrees south, respectively. It anchors its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 176.03 degrees east and 175.54 degrees east, respectively. Downe Crater has a diameter of 28.13 kilometers.

Adoption of Ma'adim Vallis (Hebrew: מַאֲדִים, ma'adim, "Mars"; Latin: vallis, "valley") as the outflow channel's official name occurred in 1973. Ma'adim is identified as "Word for 'Mars' in Hebrew, according to the feature's profile page on the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Approval was granted at the IAU’s XVth General Assembly, held in Sydney, Australia, from Tuesday, Aug. 21, to Thursday, Aug. 30, 1973.

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.

Image credits:

Image obtained by The European Space Agency's Mars orbiter, Mars Express, depicts the neighborhood of Gusev Crater (top left-center) and Ma'adim Vallis (top left-center to right) in the Martian southern hemisphere; image, which is centered at approximated minus 29 degrees south latitude, 182 degrees east longitude, covers an area of 138 x 70 kilometers, which roughly approximates the size of the island country of the Republic of Cyprus in Earth's eastern Mediterranean Sea; sharp boundary in image's center, which divides dark material to the west from light material to the east, likely demarcates the edge of a basaltic lava flow: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum), CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO, via The European Space Agency @ https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Craters_lava_flows_and_tectonic_features_near_Ma_adim_Vallis; via The European Space Agency @ https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Craters_lava_flows_and_tectonic_features_near_Ma_adim_Vallis (individual image URL)

For further information:

Contopoulos, G. (George); and A. (Arnost) Jappel, eds. XVth General Assembly Transactions of the IAU Vol. XV B Proceedings of the 15th General Assembly and Extraordinary General Assembly, Sydney, Australia, August 24-30, 1973. Washington DC: Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Jan. 1, 1974.
Available via IAU @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/
Available via The Moon Wiki @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/IAU_Transactions_XVB

The European Space Agency. "Craters, lava flows and tectonic features near Ma'adim Vallis." The European Space Agency > Science & Exploration. July 24, 2009.
Available via ESA (European Space Agency) @ https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Craters_lava_flows_and_tectonic_features_near_Ma_adim_Vallis

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Downe.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Nov. 17, 2010 9:58 a.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1634

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Gusev.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Nov. 17, 2010 9:58 a.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/Gusev

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Ma'adim Vallis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006 3:30 p.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3772

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “New Plymouth.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Nov. 17, 2010 9:58 a.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4231

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Terra Cimmeria.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006 3:30 p.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/5930

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA00414: Ma'adim Vallis." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS. Image Addition Date: 1998-06-08.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00414

Leverington, David W. "Incision of Ma’adim Vallis (Mars) by dry volcanic megafloods effused from multiple highland sources." Planetary and Space Science, vol. 1919 (Oct. 15, 2020): 105021.
Available via ScienceDirect @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0032063320300064

Marriner, Derdriu. "Gusev Crater in Southern Mars Honors Russian Astronomer Matvey Gusev." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/04/gusev-crater-in-southern-mars-honors.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Martian Crater Galdakao Nudges Jagged Northeastern Rim of Gusev Crater." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/04/martian-crater-galdakao-nudges-jagged.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Three Named Craters and One Channel Overlap Gusev Crater's Rim on Mars." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/05/three-named-craters-and-one-channel.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Three Named Craters Distinguish Central Floor in Gusev Crater on Mars." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2024/04/three-named-craters-distinguish-central.html

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Three Named Craters and One Channel Overlap Gusev Crater's Rim on Mars

Summary: Three named craters and one channel overlap Gusev Crater's rim in the southeastern quadrant of the Martian southern hemisphere's Aeolis quadrangle.

Large ancient river channel Ma'adim Vallis (top left) flows over rim crater New Plymouth (top center at channel's west bank) into interior of Gusev Crater; topography data obtained by Mars Global Surveyor robotic space probe has been draped over by 2001 Mars Odyssey robotic spacecraft orbiter camera system's mosaic of daytime infrared images of Gusev Crater; mosaic area's southward-looking simulated view, covering approximately 180 kilometers (110 miles) on each side, is centered near minus 14 degrees south latitude, 175 degrees east longitude; image credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University; Thursday, March 13, 2003: via NASA Science Mars Exploration

Downe, New Plymouth and Zutphen craters and Ma'adim Vallis occur as three named craters and one named channel that distinctively overlap Gusev Crater's rim in the southeastern quadrant of the Martian southern hemisphere's Aeolis quadrangle.

Gusev Crater is a large impact crater occupying the Aeolis quadrangle in the Martian southern hemisphere. The Aeolis quadrangle is designated as Mars Chart 23 (MC-23) by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in the agency's mapping of the Martian surface. Thirty quadrangles serve as pole-to-pole cartographic representations of Martian topography.

Gusev Crater is centered at minus 14.53 degrees south latitude, 175.52 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The impact crater attains its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 13.20 degrees south and minus 15.86 degrees south, respectively. It achieves its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 176.91 degrees east and 174.15 degrees east, respectively. Gusev Crater's diameter spans 158.12 kilometers.

Gusev Crater has experienced significant morphological modification since its impactful formation, as described by planetary geologists David A. Crown, James W. Rice, Steven W. Ruff and Stephen P. Scheidt and senior research associate Frank C. Chuang in "Geologic Mapping of Gusev Crater, Mars: Gusev Rim and Floor Characteristics," presented at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and U.S. Geological Survey's 2021 Annual Meeting of Planetary Geologic Mappers (PGM), which was held virtually Monday, June 14, to Tuesday, June 15. Small impact craters have made extensive modifications to the southern and western portions of Gusev Crater's rim.

Also, the northern extent of outflow channel Ma'adim Vallis breached the impact crater's southern rim at the point already modified by Downs and New Plymouth craters and extended onto Gusev Crater's interior floor (page ROV 19-6), as delineated by planetary geologist Keith S. Milam and seven co-authors in "THEMIS characterization of the MER Gusev crater landing site," published in the December 2003 issue of Journal of Geophysical Research Planets JGR Planets. Additionally, large terrace deposits uniquely characterize Gusev Crater's eastern-southeastern rim (David A. Crown et al., "Geologic Mappling of Gusev Crater, Mars: Gusev Rim and Floor Characteristics").

Zutphen Crater occupies the most northwesterly position of the three named craters that have modified Gusev Crater's rim. A breach in the northwestern rim near Zutphen Crater marks the northern reach of a smooth plains unit, speckled with a moderate density of small craters, that has spread across the floor from the terminus of outflow channel Ma'adim Vallis (Keith S. Milam, et al., page ROV 19-6).

Zutphen Crater is centered at minus 13.85 degrees south latitude, 174.32 degrees east longitude. It limits its northernmost and southernmost latitudes to minus 13.53 degrees south and minus 14.18 degrees south, respectively. It confines its easternmost and westernmost longitudes to 174.65 degreees east and 173.99 degrees east, respectively. Zutphen Crater has a diameter of 38.29 kilometers.

Downe and New Plymouth craters are positioned to the distant southeast of Zutphen Crater. Downe's position of extending southwestward from southwestern New Plymouth qualifies it as the most southwesterly of Gusev Crater's three named rim craters.

Downe Crater is centered at minus 15.98 degrees south latitude, 175.78 degrees east longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes are noted as minus 15.74 degrees south and minus 16.22 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes are listed as 176.03 degrees east and 175.54 degrees east, respectively. Downe Crater's diameter measures 28.13 kilometers.

North Plymouth Crater is centered at minus 15.78 degrees south latitude, 175.87 degrees east longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes are obtained at minus 15.51 degrees south and minus 16.04 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes are secured at 176.15 degrees east and 175.60 degrees east, respectively. North Plymouth Crater has a diameter of 31.54 kilometers.

Ma'adim Vallis distinctively overlies Downe and North Plymouth craters at Gusev Crater's south-southeastern rim. The outflow channel traversed the two rim craters in its terminal journey northward to Gusev Crater's southern interior floor.

Ma'adim Vallis is centered at minus 21.98 degrees south latitude, 177.50 degrees east longitude. The channel invokes northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 15.61 degrees south and minus 28.15 degrees south. It affirms its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 178.38 degrees east and 175.65 degrees east, respectively. Ma'adim Vallis has a diameter, or length, of 913.11 kilometers.

The International Astronomical Union approved Downe, New Plymouth and Zutphen in 2003 as names for three craters on Gusev Crater's rim. The IAU's XXV (25th) General Assembly was held in 2003 from Saturday, July 12, to Saturday, July 26, in Sydney, Australia.

The craters' names observed the convention of naming "Small craters (approximately 50 km and smaller)" on Mars and Martian satellites after "Small towns and villages of the world with populations of approximately 100,000 or less." Downe, New Plymouth and Zutphen honor towns in England, the U.S. state of Idaho and the Netherlands, respectively. Downe in located in the London Borough of Bromley in South East England. New Plymouth is sited in Payette County, southwestern Idaho, in the northwestern United States. Zutphen is a city and municipality in Gelderland province, also known as Guelders, in the central-east Netherlands.

Detail from Aeolis, MC-23, shows Gusev Crater with Downe, New Plymouth and Zutphen as three named rim craters and northward-flowing Ma'adim Vallis traversing overlapped Downe and New Plymouth craters on Gusev's southern rim for dobouchement to Gusev's interior floor; Base image: THEMIS IR Day mosaic by USGS, ASU Margin image: THEMIS IR Global Mosac v11.6, ASU Colorized Topography: MOLA Elevation Model, GSFC Date of Last Nomenclature Update: Nov. 9, 2022: via IAU (International Astronomical Union) and USGS ASC (U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center)

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Small craters (approximately 50 km and smaller). Small towns and villages of the world with populations of approximately 100,000 or less. This category is simply a large source of crater names. No commemoration of specific towns or villages is intended.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Surface Feature Categories > Categories (Themes) for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites > Mars and Martian Satellites: Mars.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Categories

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Zutphen.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Nov. 17, 2010 9:59 a.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6768

Milam, Keith A.; Karen R. Stockstill; Jeffrey E. Moersch; Harry Y. McSween Jr.; Livio L. Tornabene; Amitabha Ghosh; Michael B. Wyatt; and Phillip R. Christensen."THEMIS characterization of the MER Gusev crater landing site." JGR Planets Journal of Geophysical Research Planets, vol. 108, issue E12 (December 2003): 8078 (ROV 19-1 to ROV 19-24).
Available via Wiley Online Library @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21699100

Platt, Jane, ed. "Gusev Crater." NASA Science Mars Exploration > Multimedia > Images.
Available via NASA Science Mars Exploration @ https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/7647/gusev-crater/

Platt, Jane, ed. "What's in a Name? It Depends on Who's Doing the Naming." NASA Science Mars Exploration > Mars Exploration Rovers MER > Spotlight. June 2, 2004.
Available via NASA Mars Exploration Rovers MER @ https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/spotlight/spirit/a24_20040602.html