Roughness of Mars Surface Vs. Width of Its Channels

Our Question:

How will the roughness of the Mars’ surface affect the width of its channels?

Hypothesis

Main Hypothesis: The smoother the surface of Mars, the wider the channel will be. Alternative #1: The smoother the surface of Mars, the smaller the channel will be. Alternative #2: The smoother the surface of Mars, the channel will stay the same.

This topic is interesting because we want to know how the surface of Mars affects the width of a river channel and how big/wide they form. By measuring the width across a river channel tells us how much water there was and how rocks and hills on Mars change the way a river channel flows. Our topic is important because to know how rough the terrain on Mars was and how the channels formed, can help scientists figure how much water there was on Mars at one time. Also we can compare it to Earth and how much water was on both planets, and see how the geomorphology of Mars affected the water quantity, and formations. The way Mars went from a wet and warm climate to a cold, dry wasteland, could be the key information on making life on Mars possible.

Interest/Importance

Definitions

Channel : The bed of a stream, river, or other waterway. Terrain : A series of rock formations.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Terrain+?s=t http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/channel?s=t

Control Image From Mars Surface

Formation Description : This formation is defined as a channel. This channel is formed in a way that makes it resemble a crack in a window.

http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20070329a

Channel

How Channels Form

The form of a river channel can be viewed as the outcome of the continuous struggle between the erosive potential of the river and the resistance forces of the valley floor materials. Over time, rivers develop a channel which is able to carry their normal flow. The form of this channel affects the flow of water in it and, through erosion and deposition, the flow modifies the form. The channel (and often the valley floor) acts as a jerky conveyor belt for the transport of sediment moving intermittently towards the sea.

Earth Channels Vs. Mars Channels

Other Astronomers With The Same Idea

•  Giovanni Schiapparelli, an Italian astronomer, discovered the presence of channels on Mars’ surface.

•  Ken Edgett, a staff scientist at Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), stated, "… the Mariner 9 spacecraft found evidence—in the form of channels and valleys—that billions of years ago the planet had water flowing across the surface." This hypothesis was also supported by

•  Gerald A. Soffen, Chief Scientist for the Viking missions, who stated that "… the presence of braided channels suggests to many geologists that they are the result of previous periods of flowing water, suggesting a very dynamic planet.” Says Scienceclarified.com

http://www.scienceclarified.com/dispute/Vol-1/Did-water-once-flow-on-the-surface-of-Mars.html

Procedures 1.  First, I would go to the http://themis.asu.edu topic page website to

find images to observe from Mars. For my project I would look at images relating to channels from the THEMIS Camera.

2.  For each image I observe, I would write down the Image Identification number (the V#) so that I (or other scientists) could reexamine those same images at any time.

3.  For each image I observe, I would also write down whether it had (or didn’t have) the specific feature I am looking for. Even if the image does not have what I am looking for, that is still valuable data. The specific feature I would be looking for are channels.

4.  Next, I would record the longitude and the latitude of each image to look for any patterns in the observations I make and also to be able to plot that information on a map.

5.  Go to Jmars. 6.  Add New Layer > “Maps by Instrument” > MOLA > MOLA 128ppd

Elevation > Plot Numeric Data 7.  Add New Layer > “Maps by Instrument” > MOLA MOLA Shaded

Relief/Colorized Elevation > View Graphic Data

Procedures (cont.)

8. Add New Layer > Stamps > THEMIS Stamps 9. Type V# into “Image ID(s)” 10. Go to “Image Type” choose VIS. 11.  Type in your longitude and latitude. 12. Press Okay. 13. Go to “Main” tab, then press the “THEMIS Stamps” tab. 14. Double click on the V#. 15. Go to “Main” tab. 16. Click “THEMIS Stamps” > Delete Layer. 17. Go to “MOLA 128ppd Elevation” tab. 18. Measure the width of the channel. 19. Record Data. 20. Measure length of the channel. 21. Record data. 22.  Zoom out to 128. 23.  Look at Image carefully, and decide the surrounding roughness on a

scale of 1-7. One being completely smooth, and seven being extremely rough.

24. Repeat Steps 8-22 for all 20 images.

Image#  Longitude Latitude Location/description Rating Width  of  channel  (km)V27030040 89.2854 0.7177 rocky,  curvy  craters 7 6.5V05479017 28.9995 14.8227 noodle  looking  very  rough  surface 6 5.5V06305017 328.75 20.2656 stream  lined  island  smootish 3 15V01138003 321.142 -­‐29.3535 4  craters  leafy  looking 7 36N/A 36.5548 0.99626 rocky,  and  curvy 5 3.8V354109013 317.748 14.6788 rocky,  curvy,  normal  channel,  and  craters 7 15.5V32812001 313.725 -­‐26.9782 rock,  curvy  heart  shaped 7 6.5V28337019 184.872 16.682 rocky,  curvy 6 4V21933011 250.167 28.306 snake  like,  curvy 7 3V41173003 309.951 -­‐9.36577 big  crater  with  a  channel  on  the  side 4 18N/A 317.526 13.8348 big  channel  next  to  it  surrounded  by  craters 7 13V39051007 300.847 9.56867 looks  like  a  knife 6 21V39477010 254.016 31 craters,  streamlined  islands 1 2.7V38890008 267.239 20.3953 long  snake  flat  on  the  side 6 2.4V11030007 125.92 20.7796 connects  to  a  big  crater 5 12.3V11326011 229.688 36.5385 hills  to  the  side 7 24

The Roughness of the Mars Surface Vs.

The Width of It’s Channels

Scale These are some example pictures, to give you an idea of what we rate a 1 or a 7. The arrows are pointing to some areas that helped us determine the rating of these images.

1

2

3

4

Scale(cont.)

5

6 7

Graph Analysis

The graph presents the measurements we took from THEMIS images. We measured the width of a channel, and also configured the surrounding roughness. We measured the channels in KM, and we rated the surrounding roughness on a scale of 1-7. (One being the smoothest, 7 being extremely rough). On the graph you will see our rating of the surface around the channel on the X-Axis. While our width measurements of the channel are on the Y-Axis. The graph shows a positive relationship, which in turn, proves that the rougher the surface, the smaller the width of the channel.

MOLA Map

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

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40

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

Longitude

Latitude

Conclusion

How will the roughness of the Mars’ surface affect the width of it’s channels? The less rough the surface of Mars, the wider the channel will be. This question is important so we have the answers to what the water on Mars did to the surface, or vise-versa. To know how rough the terrain on Mars was and how the channels formed, can help scientists figure how much water there was on Mars at one time. In our THEMIS images, we found that the less rough it was around the channel, the wider the channel was. In the images on the next slide you can see a wide channel with a smooth surrounding surface (left), and a less-wide channel with a rough surrounding surface (right). On one of our pictures on Jmars, we measured the width incorrectly, which does impact the overall average of our channel width data. The less rough the surface of Mars, the wider the channel will be.

The red arrows show you the smoothness/roughness of the surroundings of the channels. On the right we have a wide channel, with a smooth surrounding surface. On the left, we have a less-wide channel, with a rougher surrounding surface.

References

Information "channel." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 10 Apr. 2012. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/channel>. "Terrain." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 10 Apr. 2012. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Terrain>.

Images Christensen, P.R., N.S. Gorelick, G.L. Mehall, and K.C. Murray, THEMIS Public Data Releases, Planetary Data System node, Arizona State University, <http://themis-data.asu.edu>. Collins , William . Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. April 10, 2012 <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Terrain>. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona, 4/9/2012 NASA/JPL/University of Arizona. April 10, 2012 <http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/189897main_09202007_1-516.jpg>. 4/9/2012 April 10, 2012 <http://www.spacetoday.org/images/Mars/MarsExpress/ReullVallis600x600.jpg>. 4/10/2012 April 10, 2012 <http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/marslife/images/slif_s05.jpg>. 7/8/2009 <http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/25434269.jpg>. The . The Center for Land Use Interpretation <http://clui.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/clui-image/clui/pages/images/birdfoot_750.jpg>.