Mars Elysium Basin - Geologic/volumetric analysis of a young lake and exobiologic implications

Geologic, physiographic, and topographic data on the Elysium Basin on the Martial lowland plains are used to determine the former volume of water in the basin and the sources of this water. The maximum extent of the paleolake was estimated to be about 2,000,000 sq km, with a water volume of 850,000 cu km or more, supplied to the basin from many sources in the highlands via inflow channels. The climatic and biological implications that the Elysium-Basin sea or lake might have had are discussed.