Uzboi Vallis
Encyclopedia
Uzboi Vallis is a valley
on Mars
. It is named after a dry river
valley in USSR, now in Turkmenistan
.
The valley
begins on the northern rim of the Argyre basin
, and cuts through several crater
s, before ending at Holden crater.
Uzboi Vallis is believed to have been formed by running water. It is believed that layers were formed on the floor of Uzboi Vallis (as shown in the HiRISE
image below) when drainage was blocked by the impact that formed Holden Crater to the north. Eventually the lake in the area of Uzboi Vallis went high enough to overtop the rim of Holden. The water then eroded the deposits to expose the layers as they are today. The sediments that make up the layers appear to be coarse in size, suggesting they were probably formed by a rapid flow.
It has been suggested that Uzboi
, Ladon
, Margaritifer and Ares
Valles, although now separated by large craters, once comprised a single outflow channel flowing north into Chryse Planitia
. The source of this outflow has been suggested as overflow from the Argyre
crater, formerly filled to the brim as a lake
by channels (Surius, Dzigai, and Palacopus Valles) draining down from the south pole. If real, the full length of this drainage system would be over 8000 km, the longest known drainage path in the solar system.
Vallis
Vallis is the Latin word for valley. It is used in planetary geology for the naming of landform features on other planets....
on Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
. It is named after a dry river
Uzboy River
The Uzboy River was a distributary of the Amu Darya which flowed through the northwestern part of the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan until the 18th century, when it abruptly dried up, destroying in the process the Turkmen civilization which had thrived along its banks.Now a dry river channel and a...
valley in USSR, now in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
.
The valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
begins on the northern rim of the Argyre basin
Argyre Planitia
Argyre Planitia is a plain located in the Argyre impact basin in the southern highlands of Mars. Its name comes from a map produced by Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1877; it refers to Argyre, a mythical island of silver in Greek mythology....
, and cuts through several crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
s, before ending at Holden crater.
Uzboi Vallis is believed to have been formed by running water. It is believed that layers were formed on the floor of Uzboi Vallis (as shown in the HiRISE
HiRISE
High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is a camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The 65 kg , $40 million instrument was built under the direction of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp....
image below) when drainage was blocked by the impact that formed Holden Crater to the north. Eventually the lake in the area of Uzboi Vallis went high enough to overtop the rim of Holden. The water then eroded the deposits to expose the layers as they are today. The sediments that make up the layers appear to be coarse in size, suggesting they were probably formed by a rapid flow.
It has been suggested that Uzboi
Uzboi Vallis
Uzboi Vallis is a valley on Mars. It is named after a dry river valley in USSR, now in Turkmenistan.The valley begins on the northern rim of the Argyre basin, and cuts through several craters, before ending at Holden crater....
, Ladon
Ladon Valles
Ladon Valles is a river valley on the planet of Mars in the Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle located at 22.6° South and 28.7° West. It is 278 km long and was named after an ancient name for a Greek river...
, Margaritifer and Ares
Ares Vallis
Ares Vallis is an outflow channel on Mars, named after the Greek name for Mars: Ares, the god of war; it appears to have been carved by fluids, perhaps water...
Valles, although now separated by large craters, once comprised a single outflow channel flowing north into Chryse Planitia
Chryse Planitia
Chryse Planitia is a smooth circular plain in the northern equatorial region of Mars close to the Tharsis region to the west, centered at . Chryse Planitia lies partially in the Lunae Palus quadrangle and partially in the Oxia Palus quadrangle...
. The source of this outflow has been suggested as overflow from the Argyre
Argyre
In Greek and Roman mythology, Argyre was a mythical island of silver, located in the east. The name comes from the Greek argyros ....
crater, formerly filled to the brim as a lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
by channels (Surius, Dzigai, and Palacopus Valles) draining down from the south pole. If real, the full length of this drainage system would be over 8000 km, the longest known drainage path in the solar system.