Mars Surface Imaging

NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft captures detailed images of Martian terrain, showcasing rugged landscapes and geological features.

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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows several channels dissecting the higher elevations of Claritas Fossae.

$Today's VIS image shows a section of an unnamed channel. This channel starts in Claritas Fossae and empties down into Icaria Planum. The linear features that parallel the sides of the image are fractures that can create linear depressions (fossae). Orbit Number 75343 Latitude -39.1537 Longitude 257.791 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-12-08 23 49$

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Daedalia Planum. Today's VIS image shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the three large aligned volcanoes in the Tharsis region. Arsia Mons' last eruption was 10s of million years ago. The different surface textures are created by differences in the lava viscosity and cooling rates. The lobate margins of each flow can be traced back to the start of each flow or to the point where they are covered by younger flows. Flows in Daedalia Planum can be as long as 180 km (111 miles). For comparison the longest Hawaiian lava flow is only 51 km (˜31 miles) long. The total area of Daedalia Planum is 2.9 million square km - more than four times the size of Texas. Orbit Number 91584 Latitude -23.3958 Longitude 239.081 Instrument VIS Captured 2022-08-07 07 52

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$Today's VIS image is shows a small portion of Tempe Fossae. The fossae are graben comprised of paired, parallel fractures with a down-dropped block of material between the fracture set. This morphology is created by extensional tectonic stresses. This image is located in a region of Tempe Terra that is complexly fractured. The complete fossae system in almost 2000 km (1242 miles) long. Orbit Number 88700 Latitude 31.4624 Longitude 274.34 Instrument VIS Captured 2021-12-12 20 53$

$This VIS image is located on the margin of the Nili Fossae region and Isidis Planitia. At the bottom of the image a channel feature is visible, the branch on the right appears to empty into the surface at the top of the image. The branch to the left does not reach the top of the image, so it is likely flowing from the upper left into the bottom channel. The 90 degree bends of this large channel feature indicated that tectonic forces are affecting the features formed in this region. This is further supported by the series of very small orthogonal ridges just north of the center of the image. These small ridges probably were formed in a multi part process. First tectonic activity created fractures in a preexisting rock, then a new material filled the fractures, finally erosion of the host rock occurred, removing the original materials and leaving just the fracture fill. Both the large and small scale features in this region point to a long period of tectonic activity in this region. Orbi$

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$This VIS image shows a portion of Kasei Valles. In the region of this image Kasei Valles is flowing northward from Vallis Marineris. This image contains both fluvial features and tectonic features. The linear features running across the image from the lower right to the upper left are fractures created by tectonic forces. The ones running vertically were created by fluid flow. Kasei Valles is one of the largest outflow channels on Mars and catastrophic flooding carved this massive channel. Orbit Number 79091 Latitude 19.5912 Longitude 286.26 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-10-13 16 12$

$Between the Tharsis region and Lunae Planum lies Echus Chasma and the source of Kasei Vallis. Flows from the Tharsis volcanoes are buckled by tectonic forces forming mounds and fractures in the Chasma as seen in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey.$

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The numerous valleys in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecra are dissecting part of Aonia Terra.

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$Arsia Chasmata is a complex collapsed region at the northeastern flank of Arsia Mons. The collapsed region aligns with the Pavonis and Ascraeus Mons volcanoes, indicating that all three volcanoes are located on a major fracture in the Tharsis region.$

$The two linear depressions in this VIS image are part of the Nili Fossae fracture system. Nili Fossae is the name of a collection of curved faults and down-dropped blocks of crust between the faults (called graben). The grabens lie northeast of the large volcano Syrtis Major and northwest of the ancient impact basin Isidis. The grabens make concentric curves that follow the outline of Isidis Planitia. The faults likely formed as the crust sagged under the weight of lava flows filling Isidis. Orbit Number 77813 Latitude 22.0638 Longitude 78.198 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-06-30 10 29$

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$Tectonics played the major role in shaping the surface of this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. This image contains arcuate fractures and isolated depressions containing chaos.$

$In this VIS image the surface region is being dissected by linear valleys. As the dissection continues individual mesas will develop, creating the terrain called chaos. The linear nature of the valleys is most likely due to tectonic fractures. In this region of Aram Chaos the mesas are still large, with time the mesa edges will continue to erode and the mesas will become smaller and further from each other. Data is missing from the lower left-hand portion of the image. Orbit Number 72315 Latitude 0.732378 Longitude 337.835 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-04-03 14 31$

$Echus Chasma forms the boundary between the Tharsis volcanoes to the west and Lunae Planum to the east. This region is both tectonically fractured rocks (top) and volcanic flows (middle and bottom). This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.$

$Today's VIS image shows two craters located on the margin of Syrtis Major Planum. The two large craters are not circular. The flatter sides are caused by the pressure wave generated by the impact being deflected along tectonic fractures in the surface rocks. On Earth, Meteor Crater (Arizona) also has corners due to subsurface faults. Orbit Number 48982 Latitude 0.250705 Longitude 78.1391 Instrument VIS Captured 2012-12-29 07 34$

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