Geologic mapping of northern Lunae Planun, Mars

Lunae Planum is an elevated region east of the Tharsis rise, and ridged plains containing numerous Sacra Dorsa wrinkle ridges, cross-cutting Sacra Fossae grabens, and lobate scarps compose this Martian Plateau. Geologic mapping of the northern Lunae Planum region was undertaken to better understand to emplacement history of the ridge plains, the structural history of deformation, and the periods of fluvial processes that have modified the region. These investigations are important for several reasons: (1) the history of plains emplacement yields information valuable for understanding the evolution of Tharsis volcanism; (2) interpretation of structural deformation has implications on the lithology of the Martian crust; and (3) determining the history and fate of Martian volatiles is dependent upon knowing the periods of outflow activity. A discussion of the findings is presented