Linear and arcuate rilles (simple graben) represent some of the most distinctive tectonic features on the Moon. They have been interpreted to be linked to impact basin structure (Mason et al., 1976), and to the emplacement of mare deposits in the basins via flexural deformation related to the mare deposit load (Solomon and Head, 1980). Linear rilles are generally thought to represent deformatio...

Shallow dike intrusion and widening was proposed several decades ago as a cause of surface faulting and graben formation on Earth. This hypothesis was subsequently applied to the spectacular linear and/or radial graben systems visible on Mars. However, a recent study has suggested that shallow dike intrusion on Mars results in contractional folding and uplift adjacent to dike walls rather than ...

[1] The 166,000 km fan-shaped deposit at Arsia Mons contains three characteristic facies (ridged, knobby, and smooth), which are interpreted as the depositional remains of a cold-based glacier that was present on the west–northwestern flanks in the Late Amazonian period of Mars history. Here, we consider several high-elevation graben on the western flank of Arsia Mons that are interpreted as th...

Introduction: Lineated valley fill (LVF) and lobate debris aprons (LDA) are widespread in fretted terrain in the northern part of Arabia Terra [1-3], but occur elsewhere in this latitude band in the northern hemisphere, such as at Acheron Fossae, a series of arcuate parallel graben on a rise north of Olympus Mons (217-237° E; 34-40° N) where the graben floors are characterized by viscous flow-l...

Introduction and Background: Radial grabens at Tharsis record crustal extension due to the load [1−3]. However their development and significance beyond 2-D strain estimates are largely unknown. For example, early Viking-based strain models required two separate phases of Tharsis loading to produce the “inner” and “outer” radial grabens [4,5]. In contrast, recent MGS-based stress models for Tha...