Initiation and Flow Conditions of Contemporary Flows in Martian Gullies.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the initial and flow conditions of contemporary flows in Martian gullies, generally believed to be triggered and fluidized by CO₂ sublimation, is crucial for deciphering climate conditions needed to trigger and sustain them. We employ the RAMMS (RApid Mass Movement Simulation) debris flow and avalanche model to back calculate initial and flow conditions of recent flows in three gullies in Hale crater. We infer minimum release depths of 1.0-1.5 m and initial release volumes of 100-200 m³. Entrainment leads to final flow volumes that are ∼2.5-5.5 times larger than initially released, and entrainment is found necessary to match the observed flow deposits. Simulated mean cross-channel flow velocities decrease from 3-4 m/s to ∼1 m/s from release area to flow

SUBMITTER: de Haas T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6853261 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature