Tharsis recharge: A source of groundwater for Martian outflow channels
نویسندگان
چکیده
[1] The large martian outflow channels terminating in Chryse Planitia are remnants of flooding events involving the localized discharge of millions of cubic kilometers of subsurface water, more than can be regionally stored in the crust. We use a dynamic groundwater model to demonstrate that snowpack or glaciers on the Tharsis rise, formed during periods of high obliquity when ice was stable at low latitudes, may have provided an efficient source of recharge and hydraulic head for the circum-Chryse outflowchannels.Water isdischarged through theoutflowchannels several times faster in Tharsis recharge models than in comparable South Pole recharge models.
منابع مشابه
The Martian hydrologic system: Multiple recharge centers at large volcanic provinces and the contribution of snowmelt to outflow channel activity
Global recharge of the martian hydrologic system has traditionally been viewed as occurring through basal melting of the south polar cap. We conclude that regional recharge of a groundwater system at the large volcanic provinces, Elysium and Tharsis, is also very plausible and has several advantages over a south polar recharge source in providing a more direct, efficient supply of water to the ...
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