More Martian mountains and
volcanoes for your enjoyment

   Mars is one of the most intensely studied objects in our solar system. Spacecraft such as the Mars Global Surveyor and the earlier Pathfinder have captured thousands of images of surface features. This page offers but three from that extensive collection. For more Martian photographs, go to http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html or http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod.

Above: NASA astronomy picture of the day, June 26, 2000 (Malin Space Science Systems, MGS, JPL, NASA)
Newton Crater on Mars may exhibit evidence for recent water on the planet. The unusual channels line a small crater inside the much larger Newton Crater. Because these gullies so closely mimic their Earthly counterparts, investigators suggest that surface water flows were recent, and may even endure in subterranean channels.

Right: Mars Orbiter Camera image filtered in red and blue. (MGS, NASA/Goddard, 1998-07-03)
Elysium Rise is a volcanic region on Mars that lacks obvious lava flows. Elysium Mons is central in the image, at approximately 16 km above the average elevation. Visible at the top is Hecates Tholus, while Albor Tholus can be seen below the other features.

Left: Mars Orbital Camera enhanced image. (MGS, NASA/Goddard, 1997-09-19)
Labyrinthus Noctis intrudes near the crest of a large dome (many thousands of kilometers) in the Martian crust. The 2,000-meter-deep canyons are bounded by fault structures, and debris shed from the steep slopes has migrated down to lower terrain. In the lowest areas beneath the high cliffs, small dunes are accumulating. As this image was being captured, the Mars Global Surveyor canted toward the sunlit hemisphere by approximately 25 degrees, and the MOC obliquely shot features at a distance of about 1,600 km. The image was enhanced to improve the number of gray levels by summing the pixels in both the cross-track and along-track directions, to yield a final resolution at about 12 m per pixel. The finished photograph displays a surface area of approximately 12 km square.

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