surface features on mars
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Surface Features on Mars. Dr. Joshua Bandfield Mars Space Flight Facility Arizona State University. Mars has Many Types of Surface Features. Impact Craters Volcanic Features Fluvial/Water-Related Features Layers Aeolian/Wind Features. 2. All THEMIS visible images are ~18 km across. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Surface Features on Mars
Dr. Joshua BandfieldMars Space Flight FacilityArizona State University
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Mars has Many Types of Surface Features
• Impact Craters
• Volcanic Features
• Fluvial/Water-Related Features
• Layers
• Aeolian/Wind Features
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Crater Ejecta
• Material that gets thrown out of a crater when a meteorite hits the surface– Sometimes looks
rougher than the surrounding terrain
Crater in Elysium Planitia 18N, 136ECrater in Elysium Planitia 18N, 136E
All THEMIS visible imagesAll THEMIS visible imagesare ~18 km acrossare ~18 km across
Most THEMIS images are Most THEMIS images are taken during the afternoon taken during the afternoon and the sun is shining from and the sun is shining from the left side of the imagethe left side of the image
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Rampart Craters
• Have distinct ejecta that looks like it flowed across the surface– Probably due to ice or
liquid water in the subsurface when crater formed
Rampart Crater in AcidaliaPlanitia 28N, 319E8
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Crater Morphology
• Morphology (shape) will look different based on age and size:– Large craters: Central peaks, rings
and/or slumping walls– Old craters: Eroded and have
‘softer’ features
• 3 ‘types’ of craters:– Preserved– Modified– Destroyed
Central Peak
Slumps
Arabia Terra 18N, 6EArabia Terra 18N, 6E9
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Modified Craters
• Craters can be eroded or modified by:– Wind– Water– Lava
Ares Vallis 16N, 330EAres Vallis 16N, 330EOrcus Patera 16N, 183EOrcus Patera 16N, 183E
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Volcanic Features
• Many types of surface features are associated with volcanoes:– Volcanic structures– Lava flows– Calderas– Lava Tubes/Channels
Olympus Mons 18N, 230E (Wide Angle)Olympus Mons 18N, 230E (Wide Angle)13
Olympus Mons (shown here) is a shield-like volcano the size of the state of Arizona!
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Volcanics on Mars• Volcanic activity
has dominated the surface of Mars
• Tharsis is a huge (1/3 of the planet) volcanic region that consists of 3 shield-like volcanoes
• Olympus Mons, Alba Patera and other small volcanoes are evident in this area
Ascraeus Mons
Pavonis Mons
Arsia Mons
Alba Patera
Olympus Mons
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Lava Flows
• There are many lava flows on Mars of all ages– These are similar to lava flows
that we see in places like Hawaii, but can be much larger!
Daedalia PlanumDaedalia Planum-26N, 232E-26N, 232E15
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Apollinaris Patera Caldera
THEMIS Day IR Mosaic
Lat: 9.3 S Lon: 174.4 E
Multiple basins in the caldera
Channels along the flank
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Dust Devil Tracks• Dust devils pick dust up in to the atmosphere
– They can act like vacuum cleaners and leave dust-free tracks behind them
Argyre PlanitiaArgyre Planitia-47N, 318E-47N, 318E35
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Wind Streaks
• Wind streaks form behind topographic features (such as crater rims)– Dust can be deposited or
scoured in a wind streak
Syrtis Major 0N, 72ESyrtis Major 0N, 72E36
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Dunes
• Dunes are wind blown piles of sand– Sand dunes on Mars are
often dark because they are made of basaltic sand
Sand Dunes in Kaiser CraterSand Dunes in Kaiser Crater-47N, 19E-47N, 19E37
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Surface Features on Mars
• Impact Craters
• Volcanic Features
• Fluvial/Water-Related Features
• Layers
• Aeolian/Wind Features
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Mars Maps• Mars Regions • Zoom in to see details
• Also see: http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2782/i2782_sh1.pdf
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