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Wall Morphologies

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms

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Definition

Morphologies of steeply sloping surfaces where the slope angle is often close to (or over) the angle of repose.

Related Terms

Cliff, precipice, bluff, scarp, escarpment, rock face

Subtypes

Characteristic wall morphologies include:

  1. (1)

    Spur-and-gully morphology (Lucchitta 1978; Lucchitta et al. 1992)

  2. (2)

    Rock-fall funnels and colluvial deposits (Rapp 1960)

  3. (3)

    Landslide scars forming broad curved or straight recesses (Lucchitta 1978; Lucchitta et al. 1992; Peulvast et al. 2001) (Slide, Crater Rim)

  4. (4)

    Terraced wall Terraced Crater wall, Terrace

  5. (5)

    Layered walls, showing exposures of local stratigraphy (Fig. 1)

Fig. 1
figure 1

Layered and spur-and-gullied wall rock in Capri Chasma. Scale bar 500 m. HiRISE. ESP_018017_1680 (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

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References

  • Baker VR, Kochel RC (1979) Martian channel morphology: Maja and Kasei Valles. J Geophys Res 84(B14):7961–7983

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  • Ivanov MA, Abdrakhimov AM, Guseva EN, Kostama VP, Raitala J, Korteniemi J, Törmänen T (2014) Morphologic characteristics of volcanic and sedimentary sequences on Mars. Solar System Res 48(2):130–138

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  • Lucchitta BK (1978) Morphology of chasma walls. Mars J Res US Geol Surv 6:651–662

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  • Lucchitta BK, McEwen AS, Clow GD, Geissler PE, Singer RB, Schultz RA, Squyres SW (1992) The canyon system on Mars. In: Kiefer HH, Jakosky BM, Snyder CW, Matthews MS (eds) Mars. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp 453–492

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  • Peulvast JP, Mege D, Chiciak J, Costard F, Masson PL (2001) Morphology, evolution and tectonics of Valles Marineris wallslopes (Mars). Geomorphology 37(3–4):329–352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapp A (1960) Talus slopes and mountain walls at Tempelfjorden, Spitsbergen: a geomorphological study of the denudation of slopes in an Arctic locality. Norsk Polarinstitutt Skrifter 119. Oslo University Press, Oslo

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Planetary Science Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    Henrik Hargitai

Authors
  1. Henrik Hargitai
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Correspondence to Henrik Hargitai .

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Hargitai, H. (2014). Wall Morphologies. In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_647-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_647-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9213-9

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