Hebrus Valles

Hebrus Valles

Hebrus Valles, as seen by THEMIS. Direction of flow was determined by shape of streamlined islands. Terraces may have been due to separate flood events.
Coordinates	20°12′N 233°24′W / 20.2°N 233.4°WCoordinates: 20°12′N 233°24′W / 20.2°N 233.4°W

Hebrus Valles is an ancient system of troughs and valleys in the Amenthes quadrangle of Mars, located at 20.2° north latitude and 233.4° west longitude. It is 317 km long and was named after a river in the Balkans which runs through present day Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Some authors have identified the troughs and valleys of Hebrus Valles as outflow channels, but their origin and history remain ambiguous.^[1]

Hebrus Valles has tributaries, terraces, and teardrop shaped islands. These features are all characteristic of erosion by fluid flow, but may or may not support the identification of this feature as carved by a single catastrophic outburst flood of water (as the term outflow channel would imply).

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  Hebrus Valles, as seen from Themis. Since discontinuous pits and troughs are present, it is believed that collapse of material into a void causes the troughs.

References

1. Carr, M.H. (2006), The Surface of Mars. Cambridge Planetary Science Series, Cambridge University Press.