Stratigraphy of the Kasei Valles region, Mars

The thicknesses and geomorphology of the two principal stratigraphic units exposed in Kasei Valles to aid in interpreting the nature of crustal materials and the history of the channeling events in the area are identified and described. Previous studies of Kasei Valles have related the channel landforms to glacial flow, catastrophic flooding, and large-scale eolian erosion. The two units (an upper and a lower unit) form thick sheets, each having distinct geomorphologic features. Thicknesses of the unit were determined through preliminary stereogrammetric profiles taken across many sections of western Kasei Valles and shadow measurements taken of scarp heights from calibrated Viking images having sun angles less than 25 degrees; DN values were examined to confirm that true shadows were observed.