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Gully formation in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: multiple sources of water, temporal sequence and relative importance in gully erosion and deposition processes

James L. Dickson, James W. Head, Joseph S. Levy, Gareth A. Morgan and David R. Marchant
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 467, 289-314, 4 December 2017, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP467.4
James L. Dickson
1Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
2Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA
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  • For correspondence: jdickson@caltech.edu
James W. Head
2Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA
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Joseph S. Levy
3Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78758, USA
4Present address: Department of Geology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY 13346, USA
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Gareth A. Morgan
5Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
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David R. Marchant
6Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Abstract

We report on a decade of fieldwork designed to determine the conditions required for erosion of Mars-like gully channels in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica. We have outlined the major factors in the morphological evolution of gullies in the Inland Mixed Zone of the MDV: (1) the distribution of ice sources; (2) the temporal aspects of ice melting; and (3) the relative significance of melting events in gullies. We show that significant erosion of gully channels can be achieved if geometrical and environmental conditions combine to concentrate ice where it can rapidly melt. In contrast, annual melting of surface ice and snow deposits during late-season discharge events contribute to transport of water, but flux rarely surpasses the infiltration capacity of the active layer. These small discharge events do not erode channels of significant width. Even when the flux is sufficient to carve a c. 10–20 cm deep channel during late summer (January–February) runoff, these small channels seldom persist through multiple seasons, because they are seasonally muted and filled with aeolian deposits. We briefly discuss the application of these results to the study of gully systems on Mars.

  • © 2017 The Author(s). Published by The Geological Society of London. All rights reserved
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Geological Society, London, Special Publications: 467 (1)
Geological Society, London, Special Publications
Volume 467
2019
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Gully formation in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: multiple sources of water, temporal sequence and relative importance in gully erosion and deposition processes

James L. Dickson, James W. Head, Joseph S. Levy, Gareth A. Morgan and David R. Marchant
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 467, 289-314, 4 December 2017, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP467.4
James L. Dickson
1Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
2Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • For correspondence: jdickson@caltech.edu
James W. Head
2Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA
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  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Joseph S. Levy
3Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78758, USA
4Present address: Department of Geology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY 13346, USA
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  • Find this author on PubMed
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Gareth A. Morgan
5Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
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David R. Marchant
6Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Gully formation in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: multiple sources of water, temporal sequence and relative importance in gully erosion and deposition processes

James L. Dickson, James W. Head, Joseph S. Levy, Gareth A. Morgan and David R. Marchant
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 467, 289-314, 4 December 2017, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP467.4
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • South Fork geographical and hydrological setting
    • Methods
    • Geomorphological observations
    • Instrumentation: meteorological and soil measurements
    • Late-season flow analysis and discussion
    • Mid-season discharge analysis and discussion
    • Water sources
    • Water sources discussion and synthesis
    • Conditions required for net gully channel erosion
    • Summary and conclusions
    • Future applications to Mars?
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