Wielding degrees in geoscience, Ginny Gulick examines erosional features on Mars, looking for the tell-tale signs of running water. Some of the meandering valley networks that lace the martian landscape may be proof of a warmer, wetter world, one that existed billions of years ago. But other features, including gullies found around many impact craters and valley walls, may bespeak water that’s still erupting and flowing on the martian surface today.

These clues as to where there was, and still may be, water on the Red Planet deserve more careful scrutiny, and Ginny is part of the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) team that directs the high resolution camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, now busy snapping pictures of this alien landscape. It’s important to choose which parts of Mars will be photographed, as the MRO will only be able to image about 1% of the total surface.

In addition to these research efforts, Ginny is heavily into education. She has led the development of a web-based, image target suggestion tool which will allow anyone (especially students) to offer their opinions as to which martian features should be photographed with the MRO, and then allow them to collaborate in the analysis of the photos. Studying gullies is one way to avoid a research rut.

• Glines, Natalie H. and Virginia C. Gulick.  Paleolakes and Channels on the Floor of Lyot Crater. Icarus, in revision.
• Naor, Roy, Gulick Virginia C., Spurling Reed, Amit Mushkin, Itay Halevy. Flood-related surface collapse at Osuga Valles: Subsurface salt dissolution on Mars? Nature Communications Earth & Environment, accepted June 2026.
• Huang, Rowan I. and Gulick Virginia C. 2025. Examining the role of water in Martian lowland gully formation, Icarus vol. 437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116612
• Johnsen, T. K.; Gulick, V. C. 2025. Single and Multi-Mineral Classification using Dual-Band Raman Spectroscopy for Planetary Surface Missions. American Mineralogist.  DOI: 10.2138/am-2023-907
• McEwen Alfred S, Shane Byrne, C Hansen, Ingrid J Daubar, Sarah Sutton, Colin M Dundas, Nicole Bardabelias, Nicole Baugh, J Bergstrom, R Beyer, Kristin M Block, VJ Bray, John C Bridges, Matthew Chojnacki, Susan J Conway, W Alan Delamere, T Ebben, A Espinosa, Audrie Fennema, John Grant, Virginia C Gulick, Kenneth E Herkenhoff, Rodney Heyd, Richard Leis, Lujendra Ojha, Singleton Papendick, Christian Schaller, Nicolas Thomas, Livio L Tornabene, C Weitz, Sharon A Wilson. 2024. The high-resolution imaging science experiment (HiRISE) in the MRO extended science phases (2009–2023), Icarus, 419, 115795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115795
• Hargitai, Henrik I. and Virginia C. Gulick. 2022. The Channels East of Olympus Mons, Mars. Journal of Maps, pgs.1-5.https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2022.2076622
• Hinman Nancy, Michael H Hofmann, Kimberly Warren-Rhodes, Michael S Phillips, Nora Noffke, Nathalie A Cabrol, Guillermo Chong, Cecilia Demergasso, Cinthya Tebes, Oscar Cabestrero, Janice L Bishop, Virginia C Gulick, David Summers, Pablo Sobron, Michael McInenly, Jeffrey Moersch, Constanza Rodriguez, Philippe Sarazzin, Kevin L Rhodes, Victor Parro, 2022. Surface Morphologies in a Mars-analog Ca-sulfate Salar, High Andes, Northern Chile. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 8:797591, section Astrobiology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2021.797591
• Bishop, Janice L., Merve Yeşilbaş, Nancy W. Hinman, Zachary F. M. Burton, Peter A. J. Englert, Jonathan D. Toner, Alfred S. McEwen, Virginia C. Gulick, Everett K. Gibson, Christian Koeberl 2021. Martian Subsurface Cryosalt Expansion and Collapse as Trigger for Landslides in revision. Science Advances, 7: abe4459. https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/advances/7/6/eabe4459.full.pdf
• Hinman Nancy, Janice Bishop, Virginia Gulick, Julia Kotler-Dettmann, Paige Morkner, Genesis Berlanga, Ruth Henneberger, Peter Bergquist, C. Richardson, Malcolm Walter, Lindsay MacKenzie, Roberto Anitori, and Jill Scott. 2021. Targeting Mixtures of Jarosite and Clay Minerals for Mars Exploration. American MINERALOGIST, 106 (8), pgs. 1237-1254. https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2021-7415
• Cabrol Nathalie, Janice Bishop, Sherry L. Cady, Cecilia Demergasso, Nancy Hinman, Michael Hoffman, Isik Kanik, Jeffrey Moersch, Nora Noffke, Victor Parro, Cynthia Phillips, Michael Phillips, Laura Sánchez Garcia, Pablo Sobron, David Summers, Kimberley Warren-Rhodes, David Wettergreen, Miguel Angel Férnandez-Martínez, and Virginia Gulick, 2021. Addressing Strategic Knowledge Gaps in the Search for Biosignatures on Mars. Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 white paper e-id. 223; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 53, Issue 4, e-id. 223.  10.3847/25c2cfeb.0eed7a57  .
• Daubar Ingrid J, Ross A Beyer, Victoria Hamilton, Alfred McEwen, Nicole Bardabelias, Shawn M Brooks, Paul K Byrne, Shane Byrne, Fred Calef III, Julie Castillo-Rogez, Serina Diniega, Virginia C Gulick, Christopher W Hamilton, Devanshu Jha, Akos Keresztur, Ceri Nunn, Paul Schenk, Sarah S Sutton, 2021. Extended Missions in Planetary Science: Impacts to Science and the Workforce. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 53, 4, 465.
• Cabrol Nathalie, Lori K Fenton, Kimberley Warren-Rhodes, John Hines, Nancy Hinman, Jeffrey Moersch, Pablo Sobron, David S Wettergreen, Kris Zacny, Margaret Race, Jesus Martinez-Frias, Flora Paganelli, Jen Blank, Geoffrey Landis, Alberto Fairen, Dale Andersen, Janice Bishop, Richard Cartwright, Anthony Dobrovolskis, Mark Elowitz, Inge Loes ten Kate, Carl Shneider, Virginia Gulick, Doug Caldwell, Bill Diamond, Timothy Michaels, 2021. BIOMARS: A Foundational High-Resolution Environmental Sensor Array. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 53, 4, 349.
• Cabrol Nathalie, Janice Bishop, Sherry L Cady, Cecilia Demergasso, Nancy Hinman, Michael Hoffman, Isik Kanik, Jeffrey Moersch, Nora Noffke, Victor Parro, Cynthia Phillips, Michael Phillips, Laura Sánchez Garcia, Pablo Sobron, David Summers, Kimberley Warren-Rhodes, David Wettergreen, Miguel Angel Férnandez-Martínez, Virginia Gulick, 2021. Addressing Strategic Knowledge Gaps in the Search for Biosignatures on Mars. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 53 (4), 223.
• Johnsen, Timothy K; Marley, Mark S; Gulick, Virginia C; 2020. A Multilayer Perceptron for Obtaining Quick Parameter Estimations of Cool Exoplanets from Geometric Albedo Spectra Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 132 1010 44502. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/ab740d
• Gulick Virginia C., Natalie Glines, Shawn Hart and Patrick Freeman 2019. Geomorphological Analysis of Gullies on The Central Peak of Lyot Crater, Mars. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 467, 233265, 5 December 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/SP467.17
• Hargitai HI, Gulick VC, Glines NH 2019. Evolution of the Navua Valles region: Implications for Mars' paleoclimatic history.  Icarus 330, doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2019.04.024
• Hargitai, H.I. Gulick, V.C., Glines, N.H. 2018. Paleolakes of Northeast Hellas: Precipitation, Groundwater-fed, and Fluvial Lakes in the Navua–Hadriacus–Ausonia Region.  Astrobiology, vol. 18, no. 11. https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2018.1816
• Hargitai, H., Gulick, V. 2018: Late Amazonian Aged Channel-and-Island Systems East of Olympus Mons, Mars. In: Dynamic Mars, Soare, R.J., Conway, S.J., Gallagher, C.J., Clifford, S.M., eds, Elsevier. ISBN-13: 978-0128130186 (In print).
• Hargitai H., V. Gulick, N. Glines 2018. The Geology of the Navua Valles Region of Mars. Journal of Maps, https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2018.1496858
• Cady, Sherry L., John R. Skok, Virginia C. Gulick, Jeff A. Berger, Nancy W. Hinman 2018. Chapter 7 - Siliceous Hot Spring Deposits: Why They Remain Key Astrobiological Targets. From Habitability to Life on Mars, Pages 179-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809935-3.00007-4 .
• Hargitai, H.I., Gulick, V.C., and Glines, N.H. 2017. Discontinuous drainage systems formed by highland precipitation and ground-water outflow in the Navua Valles and southwest Hadriacus Mons regions, Mars. Icarus v. 294, 15 September 2017, Pages 172-200, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2017.03.005
• Rodriguez, J.A.P. et al. +V. Gulick. 2016. Tsunami waves extensively resurfaced the shorelines of an early Martian ocean? Scientific Reports, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep25106
• Rodriguez, J.A.P., Zarroca, M., Linares, R., Gulick, V., Weitz, C.M., Yan, J., Fairen, A.G., Miyamoto, H., Platz, T., Baker, V. and Kargel, J., Glines, N. and Higuchi, K. 2016. Groundwater flow induced collapse and flooding in Noctis Labyrinthus, Mars. PSS, 124, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2015.12.009
• Rodriguez, J. Alexis P., Jeffrey S. Kargel, Victor R. Baker, Virginia C. Gulick, Daniel C. Berman, Alberto G. Fairén, Rogelio Linares, Mario Zarroca, Jianguo Yan, Hideaki Miyamoto & Natalie Glines 2015. Erratum: Martian outflow channels: How did their source aquifers form, and why did they drain so rapidly? Scientific Reports 5, 15092 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep15092
• Rodriguez, J.A.P. et al., (including V. C. Gulick) 2015. Martian outflow channels: How did their source aquifers form, and why did they drain so rapidly? Nature Scientific Reports 09/2015; 5:13404. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep13404
• Baker, V.R., C.W. Hamilton, D. Burr, V.C. Gulick, G. Komatsu, W. Luo, J.W. Rice, Jr., J. A. P. Rodriguez 2015. Fluvial Geomorphology of Earth-like Planetary Surfaces: A Review, Geomorphology 245, 145-182.
• Rodriguez, J.A.P., Thomas, P., Gulick, V., Baker, V., Fairén, A.G., Kargel, J., Jianguo, Y., Miyamoto, H., Glines, N., 2015. Did the Martian outflow channels mostly form during the Amazonian Period? Icarus , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2015.04.024.
• Rodriguez, J.A.P. VC Gulick, RL Santiago, MZ Hernández, AG Fairen, VR Baker, T Platz, JS Kargel, Y Jianguo, N Glines 2015. Flooding in Highly Tectonized Regions of Noctis Labyrinthus, Mars. 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, LPI Contribution No. 1832, p.2349.
• Valenzuela, L.A., PM Freeman, VC Gulick, ST Ishikawa, SM Bass 2015. Towards Building an Automated Rock Classifier for Planetary Rover Missions. 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 3009.
• Rodriguez, J.A.P. , AG Fairen, VC Gulick, VR Baker, T Platz, N Glines 2015. Did Periglacial Lakes Develop Within Martian Outflow Channels? 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 2306.
• Rodriguez, J.A.P., Gregory J Leonard, Thomas Platz, Kenneth L Tanaka, Jeffrey S Kargel, Alberto G Fairén, Virginia Gulick, Victor R Baker, Natalie Glines, Hideaki Miyamoto, Yan Jianguo, Midori Oguma 2015. New insights into the Late Amazonian zonal shrinkage of the martian south polar plateau. Icarus 248, 407-411.
• Rodriguez, J.A.P., Gulick, V.C., Baker, V.R., Platz, T., Farien, A.G., Miyamoto, H., Kargel, J., Rice, J.W., Glines, N., 2014. Evidence for Middle Amazonian catastrophic flooding and glaciation on Mars. Icarus 242, 202–210.
• Gulick, V.C. et al 2014. New Insights to Gully Formation Using HiRISE Digital Terrain Models. 8th Mars Conf. LPI Contribution No. 1791, 1490.
• McEwen, A. et al. incl. V. Gulick. 2014. Recurring Slope Lineae on Mars. 8th Mars Conf. LPI Contribution No. 1791, 1149.
• Glines N. and Gulick V. 2014. Comparative Study of Gullies in Kaiser Crater on Mars. 45th LPSC LPI Contribution No. 1777, 2926.
• Rodriguez, J.A.P., AF Davila, V Gulick, JS Kargel, AG Fairen, VR Baker, T Platz, GJ Leonard, CP Mckay, LFA Teodoro, Y Jinguo 2014. Assessing the Exobiological Potential of Argentea Planum, Mars. 45th LPSC LPI Contribution No. 1777, 1340.
• Narlesky C. and Gulick V. 2014. Geomorphic and Flow Analysis for Gullies in Palikir Crater. 45th LPSC LPI Contribution No. 1777, 2870.
• Hernandez, D. Gulick V. and Narlesky C. 2014. Gullies on Mars: Fluvial Geologic Processes as Evidence for Liquid Water on Mars. 45th LPSC LPI Contribution No. 1777, 1198.
• Freeman, P.M., Ishikawa, S.T. & Gulick, V.C. 2014. Automated Classification of Geological Samples Using High Resolution Macro Images. 45th LPSC # 2739.
• Coleman, E.A., Ishikawa, S.T. & Gulick, V.C. 2013. Clickworkers Interactive: Progress on a JPEG2000- Streaming Annotation Interface. 45th LPSC # 2593.
• Ishikawa, S.T. and Gulick, V.C. 2013. An Automated Mineral Classifier Using Raman Spectra. Computers & Geosciences 54, pgs. 259-268.
• McEwen, A.S., et al., including Gulick, V.C., 2011. Seasonal Flows on Warm Martian Slopes. Science 333, 740-743.
• McEwen, A.S., et al., incl. V. Gulick. (2010). HiRISE during MRO’s PSP. Icarus 205, 2-37.
• Banks, M. E., et al., incl. V.C. Gulick 2008. HiRISE observations of glacial and periglacial morphologies in the circum-Argyre Planitia highlands, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research (Planets) 113, 12015.
• McEwen, A., et al. including V. Gulick (2007) Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). JGR-Planets 112, 5.
• McEwen, A., et al. including V. Gulick (2007). A closer look at fluvial activity on Mars. Science 317, 1706.
• Deardorff, D. G. and V. C. Gulick (2003). Marsoweb: a collaborative web facility for Mars landing site and global data studies. Visualization and Data Analysis 2003,Proceedings of the SPIE, 5009, 248-259.
• Urquhart, M. L., Gulick, V. C. 2003. Plausibility of the ``White Mars'' hypothesis based upon the thermal nature of the Martian subsurface. Geophysical Research Letters 30, 120000-1.
• Gulick V.C. (2001) Origin of the valley networks on Mars: A hydrological perspective. Geomorphology 37, 241-268.
• Goro Komatsu, Victor Baker, Virginia Gulick, 2001. Valley Networks on Venus Geomorphology 37, 225-240.
• Nathalie Cabrol, G.C. Chong-Diaz, D. Wettergreen, G.C. Chong-Diaz, C.R. Stoker, J.M. Dohm, R. Keaten, K. Schwher, Virginia Gulick, Ragnhild Landheim, Pascal Lee, Ted Roush, Aaron Zent, C. Herrera Lameli, A. Jensen Iglesia, M. Pereira Arredondo, G.C. Dunfield, L. Pedersen, M.G. Bualat, D. Christian, C. Mina, M.H. Sims, H.J. Thomas, D.J. Tucker, E. Zbinden, 2001. Science results of the Atacama Nomad rover field experiment, Chile: implications for planetary exploration Journal of Geophysical Research 106 E4, 7664-7675.
• Mary Chapman, Carlton Allen, M.T. Gudmundsson, Virginia Gulick, S.P. Jakobsson, B.K. Lucchitta, I.P Skilling, R.B. Waitt, 2000. Volcanism and Ice Interactions on Earth and Mars Environmental Effects on Volcanic Eruptions: From Deep Oceans to Deep Space, J. R. Zimbelman & T.K.P. Gregg, eds., New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Pub., Chapter 3, 37-79.
• Virginia Gulick, E. Bandari, R.L. Morris, Ted Roush, M.A. Ruzon, 1999. Autonomous Image Analysis for Future Mars Missions AGU Meeting San Francisco.
• Virginia Gulick, R.L. Morris, Ted Roush, M.A. Ruzon, 1999. Autonomous Onboard Science Image Analysis for Future Mars Rover Missions DPS Meeting Pardova Italy.
• Virginia Gulick, 1999. Candidate Mars Surveyor Landing Sites Near Apollinaris Patera 2nd MBLS Workshop.
• Virginia Gulick, G.A. Briggs, D.G. Deardorff, Kevin Hand, T.A. Sandstorm, 1999. A Virtual Collaborative Environment for Mars Surveyor Landing Site Studies 2nd MBLS Workshop.
• Virginia Gulick, R.L. Morris, Ted Roush, M.A. Ruzon, 1999. Autonomous Science Analyses of Digital Images for Mars Sample Return and Beyond Lunar and Planetary Science.
• Virginia Gulick, G.A. Briggs, M. Gilmore, R.S. Saunders, L. Soderblom, 1999. Mars Surveyor Project Landing Site Activities Lunar and Planetary Science.
• Virginia Gulick, G.A. Briggs, M. Gilmore, R.S. Seunders, L. Soderblom, 1999. Mars Surveyor Project Landing Site Activities Mars Exploration program and sample return Mission.
• Ted Roush, G.K. Benedix, W. Buntine, P. Gazis, C. Glymour, Virginia Gulick, R.L. Morris, J. Oliver, L. Pedersen, J. Ramsey, M.A. Ruzon, 1999. Autonomous Sciencce Decisions For Mars Sample Return, Lunar and Planetary Science.
• Ted Roush, G.K. Benedix, W. Buntine, P. Gazis, C. Glymour, Virginia Gulick, R.L. Morris, J. Oliver, L. Pedersen, J. Ramsey, M.A. Ruzon, 1999. Autonomous Science Decision Making Related to Mars Sample Return, Mars Exploration program and sample return Mission.
• Carol R. Stoker, Virginia Gulick, G. Hovde, Jeffrey E. Moersch, 1999. 1999 Marsokhod Field Experiment: A Simulation of a Mars Rover Science Mission Lunar and Planetary Science.
• Virginia Gulick, 1998. Magmatic intrusions and a hydothermal origin for fluvial valleys on Mars Journal of Geophysical Research 103, 19,365-19,387.
• Virginia Gulick, James Dohm, T.M. Hare, K. Tanaka, 1998. The Origin of Warrego Valles: A Case study for Fluvial Valley Formation on Early Mars Lunar and Planetary Science.
• James Dohm, R.C. Anderson, Virginia Gulick, T.M. Hare, J.H. Lias, 1998. Warrego Valles and other Candidate Sites of Local Hydrothermal Activity eithin the Thaumasia Region, Mars Lunar and Planetary Science
• Virginia Gulick, R.M. Haberle, Christopher McKay, D. Tyler, 1997. Epsodic Ocean-Induced CO2 Greenhouse on Mars: Implications for Fluvial Valley Formation Icarus 130, 68-86.
• Virginia Gulick, R.M. Haberle, Christopher McKay, 1997. Epsodic Greenhouse Climates on Mars Lunar and Planetary Science XXVIII.
• Jeffrey Moore, Gary D. Clow, Wanda Davis, Virginia Gulick, David R. Janke, Christopher McKay, Carol R. Stoker, Aaron Zent, 1995. The circum-Chryse region as a possible example of a hydrologic cycle on Mars: Geologic observations and theoretical evaluation Journal of Geophysical Research 100, 5433-5447.
• Baker V.R., Carr M.H., Gulick V.C., et al. (1992). Channels & valley networks. In Mars. Kieffer, et al., eds., U. of Arizona Press, Tucson, 493-522.
• Baker, V.R., Strom, R.G., Gulick, V.C., Kargel, J.S., & Komatsu, G. (1991). Ancient oceans, ice sheets and the hydrological cycle on Mars. Nature 352, 589.
• Baker, V. R., Gulick, V. C., Kargel, J. S., Strom, R. G. 1991. Water resources and hydrology of Mars. In Resources of Near-Earth Space, U. of Arizona Press, Tucson 26 pgs.
• Gulick, V.C. & Baker V.R. (1990) Origin and evolution of valleys on Martian volcanoes. JGR 95, 14325 14344.
• Gulick, V., Baker, V. (1989). Fluvial valleys & Martian Paleoclimates. Nature 341, 514-516.