Interweaving Recurring Slope Lineae in Raga Crater, Mars and Their Applicability to Hillslope Monitoring Throughout New Mexico

Abstract

Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are unique features on the Martian surface whose formative mechanisms and overall geomorphic expression are still poorly understood [1]. While many appear linear, a small subset— notably in Martian craters such as Raga— display an interweaving morphology. This morphology has not been discussed at length in the literature and raises several questions about the nature of recurring slope lineae; specifically about the geomorphic expression of interweaving RSL. We seek to determine whether interweaving slope lineae can provide insight into the formative nature of RSL, and postulate that the interweaving exhibited by recurring slope lineae does help to further constrain their formative mechanisms as either fully aqueous in form, or as a dry, channelized flow of sediment down sinuous sub-resolution channels. Our research also suggests that changes in slope angle near the bifurcation point of slope lineae are associated with the interweaving patterns seen in RSL, and that higher sinuosity in those channels may influence the interweaving nature of these features.