NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Rotational Landslides or Slumps along the Walls of Bahram Vallis
Bahram Vallis is a narrow-winding valley that terminates at the circum-Chyrse Basin on Mars.

The valley has numerous circular to sub-circular alcoves along its slopes, some with large deposits directly below on the valley floor. These features are evident from earlier image datasets of Mars including THEMIS, MOC, and HRSC, and are indicative of mass-wasting processes that have occurred along the valley walls.

A portion of the valley was imaged by the HiRISE camera at approximately 30 centimeters/pixel resolution in a location with both alcoves and valley floor deposits. Several features are apparent: a well-defined circular crown and main scarp, tensional cracks along the crown margins, and a well-defined accumulation zone with slump deposits.

The general appearance of these landslides is similar to terrestrial rock and/or loose earth rotational landslides. The Bahram landslides are also different from other well-documented landslides on Mars, such as those in the Valles Marineris canyon system that have lobate forms and longitudinal and/or transverse ridges on their surfaces. Future study of these landslide deposits will incorporate elevation data from the digital topographic model to assess the stability of valley walls using standard earth geotechnical models.

Written by Frank Chuang
 
DTM & ORTHOIMAGES
DTEEC_003460_2015_003605_2015_U01   (670 MB)

PSP_003605_2015_RED_C_01_ORTHO
(49 MB)

PSP_003460_2015_RED_C_01_ORTHO
(48 MB)

PSP_003460_2015_RED_A_01_ORTHO
(695 MB)

PSP_003605_2015_RED_A_01_ORTHO
(705 MB)

Full directory listing

DTM EXTRAS
PSP_003460_2015_RED_C_01_ORTHO
(Annotated Browse)
PSP_003605_2015_RED_C_01_ORTHO
(Annotated Browse)
DTEEC_003460_2015_003605_2015_U01
(Annotated Browse)
DTEEC_003460_2015_003605_2015_U01
(Shaded Relief)
DTEEC_003460_2015_003605_2015_U01
(Color Altimetry)

Extras Read me
Extras directory listing
STEREO PAIR
Left observation
PSP_003460_2015

Right observation
PSP_003605_2015

Latitude (center)
21.27°

Longitude (center)
303.5°

Map scale
1.00 meter/pixel

North azimuth
270°


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