The identification of lobate debris deposits in Arabia Terra, along the proposed paleoshoreline of a former northern ocean, has renewed questions about the existence and stability of ocean‐sized body of water in the early geologic history of Mars. The potential occurrence of impact‐generated tsunamis in a northern ocean was investigated by comparing the geomorphologic characteristics of the Martian deposits with the predictions of well‐validated terrestrial models (scaled to Mars) of tsunami wave height, propagation direction, runup elevation, and distance for three potential sea levels. Our modeling suggests several potential impact craters ~30–50 km in diameter as the source of the tsunami events. Within the complex topography of flat‐floored valleys and plateaus along the dichotomy boundary, the interference of the multiple reflected and refracted waves that are observed in the simulation may explain the origin of the arcuate pattern that characterizes the thumbprint terrain.

Aeolis Dorsa is a topographic depression, ∼800 km east of Gale Crater, located along the Mars' dichotomy boundary. This area hosts a set of fluvial sedimentary rocks displaying an exceptional record of depositional environments and fluvial channels patterns that suggest the presence of a large amount of surface and/or subsurface water. We interpreted the plain as an ancient waterlogged environment, a sedimentary basin passing into distal depositional environments. Regional mapping of the area revealed the presence of a large-scale fluvial system that points to a long-term and extensive hydrological cycle. A significant wet period with changing environmental conditions in Hesperian/Amazonian occurred in the study area diverging from the present-day climate. Our map (Main Map) contributes to the understanding of past climatic conditions on Mars. Moreover, it provides an interesting perspective for future missions looking for evidence of present-day and/or past extraterrestrial organisms as the life as we know it needs liquid water.

BackgroundAlthough a nutrient-poor diet may affect children's growth, especially early in life, few tools to assess dietary imbalances in 1- to 3-year-old children have been developed.ObjectivesTo investigate the accuracy and test–retest reliability of the NutricheQ Questionnaire in the identification of toddlers with the risk of inadequate intake of micro- and macronutrients in a sample of Italian toddlers.DesignA 3-day weighed food record was performed, and results were compared with outcomes of the NutricheQ Questionnaire in 201 toddlers (training set: 1–3 years old). The accuracy of NutricheQ in the identification of categories of nutritional risk was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Test–retest of the tool was estimated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Cronbach's alpha statistic, in a validation set of 50 toddlers.ResultsThe NutricheQ Questionnaire is a valid tool for the identification of toddlers at risk for dietary imbalances. Significant differences in nutrient intake (p<0.005) were found among the three groups of risk identified by the questionnaire: toddlers included in the high-risk group had a lower intake of key nutrients such as iron, vitamin D and other vitamins, and fibre compared to those included in the low-risk group. NutricheQ is also reliable between administrations, as demonstrated by its test–retest reliability. ICC and Cronbach's alpha were 0.73 and 0.83, respectively, for Section 1 of NutricheQ, and 0.55 and 0.70 for Section 2.ConclusionsThe NutricheQ Questionnaire is a reliable and consistent tool for the assessment of possible dietary risk factors in Italian toddlers. It consistently identifies toddlers with a high probability of having poor iron and vitamin D intake, and other dietary imbalances.

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Thumbprint terrain was first recognized in Viking Orbiter data and described as sets of alternating continuous parallel ridges and depressions up to several tens of kilometres in length, with high and low albedo respectively. We performed a geomorphological analysis of these features using both Context Camera and High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment images, as well as topographic profiles based on Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data, with the aim to provide an origin for thumbprint terrain and constrain the geological evolution of southeastern Acidalia Planitia. The identification of runup lobate deposits, coupled with the putative presence of a Late Hesperian ocean in the northern lowlands, led to speculations that evidence of tsunamis may be present in the geologic record of the area. There are several hypotheses that have been proposed previously to explain the origin of thumbprint terrain and include ice-related, volcanicrelated, liquefaction and mud-volcanism driven processes. However, a tsunami-related origin provides a strong geological framework for the energy required for the associated lobes to flow uphill and leaving peripheral termination ridges as a result of viscosity. Numerical simulations indicate that-prior to their emplacement-the lobes sustained high velocities, thereby lending further support to the tsunami hypothesis and their origin from the Lomonosov crater impact. Wave interference patterns, formed during the propagation of the tsunamis over and around prominent topography, likely explain the thumbprint terrain spatial arrangement. The thumbprint terrain sedimentary cones are, herein, considered mud volcanoes related to a tsunami that occurred in southeastern Acidalia Planitia.