The Warrego Valles are a set of channels in an ancient river valley in the
Thaumasia quadrangle
The Thaumasia quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The Thaumasia quadrangle is also referred to as MC-25 (Mars Chart-25).
The name comes fr ...
of Mars, located at 42.2° south latitude and 93° west longitude. They are 188 km long and were named after a modern Australian River.
Mariner 9 and
Viking Orbiter
The ''Viking'' program consisted of a pair of identical American space probes, ''Viking 1'' and ''Viking 2'', which landed on Mars in 1976. Each spacecraft was composed of two main parts: an orbiter designed to photograph the surface of Mars f ...
images showed a network of branching valleys in Thaumasia called the Warrego Valles. These networks are evidence that Mars may have once been warmer, wetter, and perhaps had precipitation in the form of rain or snow. At first glance they resemble river valleys on Earth. But sharper images from more advanced cameras reveal that the valleys are not continuous. They are very old and may have been eroded. A picture below shows some of these branching valleys. A study with the
Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter,
Thermal Emission Imaging System
The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) is a camera on board the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter. It images Mars in the visible and infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum in order to determine the thermal properties of the surface and to ...
(THEMIS) and the
Mars Orbiter Camera
The Mars Orbiter Camera and Mars Observer Camera (MOC) were scientific instruments on board the Mars Observer and Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. The camera was built by Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) for NASA and the cost of the whole MOC s ...
(MOC) support the idea that the Warrego Valles were formed from precipitation.
[Ansan, V and N. Mangold. 2006. New observations of Warrego Valles, Mars: Evidence for precipitation and surface runoff. Icarus. 54:219-242.]
References
See also
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Climate on Mars
The climate of Mars has been a topic of scientific curiosity for centuries, in part because it is the only terrestrial planet whose surface can be directly observed in detail from the Earth with help from a telescope.
Although Mars is smaller t ...
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Geology of Mars
The geology of Mars is the scientific study of the surface, crust, and interior of the planet Mars. It emphasizes the composition, structure, history, and physical processes that shape the planet. It is analogous to the field of terrestrial geo ...
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Lunae Palus quadrangle
The Lunae Palus quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The quadrangle is also referred to as MC-10 (Mars Chart-10). Lunae Planum and parts o ...
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Outflow channels
Outflow channels are extremely long, wide swathes of scoured ground on Mars. They extend many hundreds of kilometers in length and are typically greater than one kilometer in width. They are thought to have been carved by huge outburst floods.
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Valley network (Mars)
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Vallis (planetary geology)
''Vallis'' or ''valles'' (plural ''valles'' ) is the Latin word for ''valley''. It is used in planetary geology to name landform features on other planets.
Scientists used ''vallis'' for old river valleys they discovered when they sent the first ...
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Water on Mars
Almost all water on Mars today exists as ice, though it also exists in small quantities as vapor in the atmosphere. What was thought to be low-volume liquid brines in shallow Martian soil, also called recurrent slope lineae, may be grains of ...
Thaumasia quadrangle
Valleys and canyons on Mars
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