A comprehensive morphometric and mineralogical assessment of Ma’adim Vallis, Mars

Early Mars exhibited terrestrial-like hydrologic activity, with extensive fluvial networks and lacustrine deposits preserved due to the lack of plate tectonism. Ma’adim Vallis (≈22°S, 177.3°E) in Terra Cimmeria extends ~900 km, is 10–15 km in width, and reaches depths of ~2 km, linking the Eridania basin system to Gusev crater on the northern plain. The competing formation hypothesis involves surface runoff, paleolake overflow, and dry volcanic megafloods. This work employs high-resolution orbital imageries like CTX, HiRISE, CRISM, and Digital Elevation Models to quantify more than 50 morphometric parameters, including length-area scaling, sinuosity indices, dissection indices, and junction angles for channels, etc. Mineralogical mapping identifies key minerals, including Mg-smectite, Fe/Mg phyllosilicates, and olivine from the study area. Even though the integrated morphometric and mineralogical evidence points to a dominantly catastrophic water outflow event that carved the valley, implying a transient but intense hydrologic regime in Mars’ early climate history; evidence suggests that the evolution of Ma’adim Vallis may not be derived from a single process, indicating the involvement of multiple, distinct formative mechanisms.