Nature and hydrological relevance of the Shalbatana complex underground cavernous system

The geomorphology of the North East trending long fractured depression between the Ganges Chasma and the Shalbatana Vallis headwater source region is examined and interpreted to be the result of collapse of part of an extensive underground cavernous system. We propose that this cavernous system undermines at least a valley, which extends from the vicinities of the Ganges Chasma and terminates in the Shalbatana Vallis headwater source region and the Aromatum Chaos. We believe that the origin of this cavernous system was related to the formation and interconnection of discrete cavernous bodies and propose a hypothesis, which involves the interaction of permafrost and intrusive magmatism to explain their formation. The Shalbatana Vallis headwater source is interpreted as produced by a Noachian impact crater and surface collapse over part of the underground cavernous system. Finally, we propose that the water sources, which were involved in the excavation of the Shalbatana and Ravis outflow channels might have included water segregated from the permafrost through interaction of intrusive magmatism and permafrost, water drained from a paleolake in the Ganges Chasma and water released from the catastrophic evacuation of confined aquifers.

对恒河峡谷和沙尔巴塔纳溪源头区域之间呈东北走向的长断裂凹陷的地貌进行了研究，并将其解释为一个广泛的地下洞穴系统部分坍塌的结果。我们提出，这个洞穴系统至少侵蚀了一个山谷，该山谷从恒河峡谷附近延伸，终止于沙尔巴塔纳溪源头区域和阿罗马图姆混沌。我们认为，这个洞穴系统的起源与离散洞穴体的形成和相互连接有关，并提出了一个假说，该假说涉及永久冻土和侵入岩浆作用的相互作用来解释它们的形成。沙尔巴塔纳溪源头被解释为是由一个诺亚纪撞击坑以及地下洞穴系统部分区域的地表坍塌所形成的。最后，我们提出，参与沙尔巴塔纳和拉维斯流出河道挖掘的水源可能包括通过侵入岩浆作用和永久冻土相互作用从永久冻土中分离出来的水、从恒河峡谷的一个古湖泊中排出的水以及从承压含水层的灾难性排空所释放的水。