Fluvial windows into the history of the red planet
This project was funded by my first large NASA proposal, which I submitted in the last year of my PhD as a Science PI. This work focused on the fluvial and volcanic history of Hebrus Valles and Hephaestus Fossae in south-eastern Utopia Planitia, Mars. Outflow channel systems on Mars have been largely interpreted as resulting from sporadic but intense episodes of liquid water flow, and the Hebrus Valles and Hephaestus Fossae systems are unique among these due to their well-preserved state and relatively recent activity (Early Amazonian, ~3 Ga). Geologic evidence in these regions points to a water-rich, habitable past environment, characterized by multiple episodes of melting and liquid water flow, yet little is known about their history. This represents a significant gap in our understanding of geologic processes occurring on Mars in the Amazonian Period.