Tag Archives: volcanics

HiRISE: Rafted rock

This area of Amazonis Planitia to the west of the large volcano Olympus Mons was once flooded with lava. A huge eruption flowed out across the relatively flat landscape. Sometimes called “flood basalt,” the lava surface quickly cooled and formed … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Pavonis Mons

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 8, 2016. This VIS image shows part of the area where Pavonis Chasma intersects with Pavonis Fossae. It is a region of lava flows from Pavonis Mons and depressions likely formed by collapse into … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Crater & caldera on Elysium Mons

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 7, 2016. This VIS image shows two circular features. The flat floored feature at the top of the image is the summit caldera of Elysium Mons and was formed by volcanic activity. The bowl-shaped … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Lava flows over the edge of Olympus Mons

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 1, 2016. The margin of Olympus Mons consists of a cliff-like edge where elevation changes very quickly over a very small width. This edge is called Olympus Rupes. This VIS image shows part of … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Windstreak on Daedalia Planum

THEMIS Image of the Day, October 26, 2016. The “tail” behind the crater at the top of this VIS image is called a windstreak. This feature is formed by winds blowing over, in, and around the crater. Turbulence in the … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Cracks, pits, faults, & graben in the Labyrinth of Night

THEMIS Image of the Day, October 25, 2016. This VIS image shows some of the graben which form Noctis Labyrinthus. Graben are formed when pairs of faults cause the material between them to move downward, creating the linear trough. The … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Wrinkle ridges and pit craters

Tectonic stresses highly modified this area of Ganges Catena, north of Valles Marineris. The long, skinny ridges (called “wrinkle ridges”) are evidence of compressional stresses in Mars’ crust that created a crack (fault) where one side was pushed on top … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Lava that once flowed

This image shows some beautiful lava flows in Amazonis Planitia. Lava isn’t moving around on Mars today, but it certainly once did, and images like this one are evidence of that. A thick lava flow came in from the west, … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Spider webs

This image shows a lava channel north of Kuiper Crater in the high southern latitudes just before spring equinox. It was a target suggested by members of the public, using our suggestion tool called HiWish. The channel confluence at the … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Long and winding channel in Tharsis

The Tharsis region of Mars is covered in vast lava flows, many with channels. Some channels, however, resemble features that may have been formed by water. In this image, we see a smooth, flat-bottomed channel within the roughly irregular edges … Continue reading

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