Late‐stage debris flows eroded Aeolis mons in Gediz Vallis, Gale crater, Mars
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
How the ancient climate of Mars transitioned to its current cold, hyperarid state is recorded by the sedimentary rocks preserved on its surface. Gale crater, the Curiosity rover landing site, is one such location, where the central mountain, Aeolis Mons, preserves an extensive sedimentary record. Curiosity has demonstrated that the Aeolis Mons succession comprises older, fluvio-lacustrine facies overlain by younger, aeolian facies, inferred to reflect a broad aridification trend. From orbit, multiple canyons and sediment fans are observed originating from Gale's crater rim and Aeolis Mons itself, suggesting regional, intermittent returns to wet conditions, late in the crater's history. Curiosity recently investigated Gediz Vallis, a canyon incised into Aeolis Mons, which contains a central ridge hypothesized to be a degraded alluvial fan. We use Curiosity's remote sensing suite to test this orbital hypothesis, by investigating the characterizing these canyon-filling, sedimentary deposits in an upslope region of Gediz Vallis, Arc Pass. Here, the rover conducted an extensive campaign and was able to resolve fine-scale sedimentary facies and textures. We find these deposits consist of transported breccias and conglomerates, and record multiple sediment transport processes, including debris flows and landslides, separated by episodes of aeolian erosion and in-situ alteration. The debris flow deposits, preserved as levees and channels, require the continued, but likely intermittent, surface water availability, during the exhumation phase of Aeolis Mons, late in the history of both Gale crater and Mars. The processes recorded here are likely to be representative of regional, paleoclimatic conditions across Gale crater.
Date Issued
2026-06-01
Date Acceptance
2026-06-01
Citation
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 2026, 131 (6)
ISSN
2169-9097
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Volume
131
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
© 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e2025JE009538
Date Publish Online
2026-06-17