The study of the relationship between Pit chains and grabens and their role in the formation of Rift systems and Troughs in Noctis Labyrinthus

Pit chains commonly occur along a bounding fault, allowing to infer a genetic relationship between grabens and pits. In this work we propose a comprehensive model for the formation of pit chains , the complex sequence of rift system and troughs in Noctis Labyrinthus. Like other previous authors, we confirm that a volcano-tectonic activity is the main process controlling the generation of such interesting and intricate structures in the studied area. We analyzed the geometrical properties and the maximum displacement as a function of fault length and cumulative frequency of fault length distribution for 499 mapped faults, which reveal the host lithology of the faults and the arrangement of rocks in of the crust and the lithosphere. We finally suggest a model where a relative sequence of events responsible for the formation and development of the scalloped network of troughs in Noctis Labyrinthus (Mège et al.,2003).In this model, the magma propagates from depth to the surface by exploiting a network of interconnected fractures, and as a consequence, this magma inflation generates the formation of dike-induced grabens and pit chain on the surface.