Groundwater upwelling and wind erosion in the Makgadikgadi pan, Botswana: analogies with the equatorial layered deposits of Arabia Terra, Mars

Arabia Terra, in the equatorial region of Mars, is characterized by layered deposits, known in literature as ELDs (Equatorial Layered Deposits). These deposits have been interpreted as playa deposits fueled by regional groundwater upwelling hosting peculiar mounded morphologies that have been interpreted as evidences for past water occurrence on Mars. Important clues on the mechanisms of formation of these mounds come from analogous layered mounds from the Makgadikgadi pan of Botswana. The Makgadikgadi pan mounds are in fact similar to the Martian mounds for their shape and size and are formed in an arid playa environment by the overlap of groundwater upwelling and wind erosion. This new data set outlines the overlap of groundwater upwelling and wind deflation as active processes during the formation of layered morphologies in arid environment.