The geomorphology and morphometry of the banded terrain in Hellas basin, Mars: Results from Geomorphological Investigations and Morphometry

Hellas basin is a large impact basin situated in the southern highlands of Mars. The north western part of the basin has the lowest elevation ( 7.5 km) on the planet and contains a possibly unique terrain type which we informally call "banded terrain". The banded terrain is made up of smooth looking banded deposits that display signs of viscous behavior and a paucity of superimposed impact craters. In this study we use newly acquired high spatial resolution images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) in addition to existing datasets to characterize the geomorphology the morphometry and the architecture of the banded terrain. The banded terrain is generally confined to the NW edge of the Alpheus Colles plateau. The individual bands are similar to 3 15 km long similar to 0.3 km wide and are separated by narrow inter band depressions which are similar to 65 m wide and similar to 10 m deep. The bands display several morphologies that vary from linear to concentric forms. Morphometric analysis reveals that the slopes along a given linear or lobate band ranges from 0.5 degrees to 15 degrees (average similar to 6 degrees) whereas the concentric bands are located on flatter terrain (average slope similar to 2 3 degrees). Crater size frequency analysis yields an Amazonian Hesperian boundary crater retention age for the terrain (similar to 3 Gyr) which together with the presence of very few degraded craters either implies a recent emplacement resurfacing or intense erosion. The apparent sensitivity to local topography and preference for concentrating in localized depressions is compatible with deformation as a viscous fluid. In addition the bands display clear signs of degradation and slumping at their margins along with a suite of other features that include fractured mounds polygonal cracks at variable size scales and knobby/hummocky textures. Together these features suggest an ice rich composition for at least the upper layers of the terrain which is currently being heavily modified through loss of ice and intense weathering possibly by wind.