A tectonic geomorphological classification of the walls of Valles Marineris.

Viking 1 imagery of the Coprates NW quadrangle was used in an attempt to develop a geomorphic classification scheme for the canyon walls of Valles Marineris analogous to that devised to evaluate the relative tectonic activity of terrestrial mountain fronts. The four classes of walls established are described and mapped. Regions where a class cannot be assigned owing to the presence of intra canyon sediments, landslides, or landslide debris; and apparent fault scarps that occur on the canyon floor rather than at the wall base are also shown. The most striking feature is the concentration of active tectonic features within lus Chasma, and to a lesser extent in Tithonium Chasma, as well as along the north walls of Coprates and East Candor.