Long-runout landslides and the long-lasting effects of early water activity on Mars: Reply

We thank Shaller (2016) for his Comment on our recent paper (Watkins et al., 2015), in which we used high-resolution image and spectral data to constrain long-distance landslide transport mechanisms in Valles Marineris, Mars. We proposed a clay lubrication transport model involving the entrainment of clay-bearing trough-floor materials based on three main lines of support: the discovery of hydrated silicates in the outer zone of Ius Labes, correlated morphostructural observations consistent with the presence of these hydrated silicates in the basal sliding zone of the landslide, and the well documented friction-reducing mechanical properties of clay minerals.