The basin was formed by a giantimpact event by an impactor around 200 kilometres (120 mi) in diameter during theLate Heavy Bombardment of the earlySolar System, approximately 4–3.8 billion years ago,[4][5] and may be one of the best preserved ancient impact basins from that period. Argyre is surrounded by ruggedmassifs which form concentric and radial patterns around the basin. Several mountain ranges are present, some of these mountain ranges includeCharitum andNereidum Montes.[6]
Four largeNoachian epoch channels lie radial to the basin. Three of these channels (Surius Vallis,Dzígai Vallis, andPallacopas Vallis) flowed into Argyre from the south and east through the rim mountains. The fourth,Uzboi Vallis, appears to have flowed out from the basin's north rim to theChryse region and may have drained alake of melting ice within the basin. A smaller outflow channel namedNia Valles is relatively fresh-looking, and probably formed during the earlyAmazonian after the major fluvial and lacustrine episodes had finished.[7]
The original basin floor is buried with friable, partially deflated layered material that may be lakesediment. No inner rings are visible; however, isolated massifs within the basin may be remnants of an inner ring.[6]
After the formation of the impact basin, heat from the impact event along with geothermal heating may have allowed for liquid water to persist for many millions of years. The lake's volume could have been equal to that of Earth's Mediterranean Sea. The basin would have supported a regional environment favorable for the origin and the persistence oflife.[8] This region shows a great deal of evidence of glacial activity with flow features, crevasse-like fractures,drumlins,eskers,tarns,arêtes,cirques, horns, U-shaped valleys, and terraces. Because of the shapes of Argyre sinuous ridges, the authors agree with previous publications in which they are eskers.[9]
Based on morphometrical and geomorphological analysis of the Argyre eskers and their immediate surroundings, it was suggested that they formed beneath an approximately 2 km thick, stagnant (i.e., stationary) ice sheet around 3.6 billion years ago. This stagnant body of ice might have resembled aPiedmont-style glacier comparable to today'sMalaspina Glacier inAlaska.[10]
The southern rim of Argyre basin, formed by theCharitum Montes. Adjacent are sinuous ridges, theorized to be glacialeskers. The craterGalle is seen in the background.
MOLA maps showing the geographic context of Argyre.
MOLA map showing boundaries for Argyre Planitia and other regions
Gullies south of Argyre appear to be unequivocal evidence of water erosion.
Scene in Argyre quadrangle with gullies, alluvival fans, and hollows, as seen by HiRISE underHiWish program. Enlargements of parts of this image are below.
Several levels of alluvial fans, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Locations of these fans are indicated in the previous image.
Small, well-formed alluvial fan, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location of this fan is shown in an image displayed above.
Enlargement of above image showing hollows with box showing the size of a football field, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
Gullies, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Nereidum Montes.
Surface in Argyre quadrangle as seen by HiRISE, under the HiWish program. This is the image of the surface from a single HiRISE image. The scale bar at the top is 500 meters long.
CTX image showing context for the next image. A group of channels are visible in this image.
Close-up of surface in Argyre quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE, under the HiWish program.
^abHiesinger, Harald; Head III, James W. (August 2002). "Topography and morphology of the Argyre Basin, Mars: implications for its geologic and hydrologic history".Planetary and Space Science.50 (10–11):939–981.Bibcode:2002P&SS...50..939H.doi:10.1016/S0032-0633(02)00054-5.
^Bernhardt, H.; Hiesinger, H.; Reiss, D.; Ivanov, M. A.; Erkeling, G. (2013). "Putative eskers and new insights into glacio-fluvial depositional settings in southern Argyre Planitia, Mars".Planetary and Space Science Conference.85:261–278.Bibcode:2013P&SS...85..261B.doi:10.1016/j.pss.2013.06.022.
Media related toArgyre Planitia at Wikimedia Commons
