QUESTION:
Are there any geomorphically-suitable areas on Mars for habitation?

ANSWER from Mike Mellon on March 28, 2000:
Two important criteria for habitation on Mars would be shelter and resources.
Depending on the radiation environment and climate conditions, we would
want to build a colony in a protected area. Martian winds are relatively 
light due to the thin atmosphere. The thin atmosphere may not limit radiation
from space as our own atmosphere does, though it may not be necessary to 
bury a shelter beneath a soil layer, as it might be on the moon. A colony 
built too close to the poles would experience winter temperatures as low 
as -120 C. Heating may be a problem, as well as sunlight for energy 
in the long polar night.

Water and oxygen would be critical resources for a Mars colony. Water 
might be found as vapor in the thin atmosphere. More abundant water could
be found as ice frozen in the soil at mid latitudes or further poleward. 
Ground water may be too deep to be easily accessed. Building a colony 
near a source of water would be necessary. In addition, water could
be used to produce oxygen. A byproduct, hydrogen, could also be used
as a fuel. 

Geomorphology would be an indicator of the geologic environment in
which to build a colony. A bedrock surface would probably not contain
any significant amounts of water. A relatively thick soil surface 
would be a better choice. Probably most of Mars is covered by an 
adequately thick soil surface.