Substrate controls on valley formation by groundwater on Earth and Mars

Abstract

Valleys with amphitheater-shaped headwalls on Mars have been used to constrain early martian hydrology and, importantly, have been interpreted as eroded from groundwater-fed springs, which might have constituted hospitable environments for life on ancient Mars. Groundwater-fed springs have carved valleys in rare examples on Earth; however, these valleys are in loose sandy sediments and weakly cemented sandstones, and it is unclear whether groundwater is also an effective erosion agent in the basaltic bedrock and boulders within martian valleys. Here we develop a theoretical model for the efficiency of valley formation by groundwater-seepage erosion, and we show that valley formation by groundwater is limited to narrow ranges in aquifer permeabilities and sediment sizes that are characteristic of loose or weakly consolidated sand. The model is validated against groundwater-carved valleys in loose sand in physical experiments and natural valleys on Earth. Applied to valleys near Echus Chasma, Mars, our model precludes a formation by seepage erosion due to the inferred basaltic bedrock; instead, the model implies that surface flows of water were required to form the valleys, with significant implications for the hydrology, climate, and habitability of ancient Mars.