Knobs and Valleys in Acidalia Planitia
HiRISE PICTURE OF THE DAY: 20 MAY 2024
Knobs and Valleys in Acidalia Planitia

This image features mounds and hummocky/fretted terrain of similar formation as those in far eastern Acidalia Planitia, but are not common on Mars, and may be the edge of an ancient basin. An additional rationale for this observation is to create a gigapixel mosaic of this area, which has received sparse coverage so far.



HiRISE Instrument News
Since July 23, 2023, HiRISE observations have lacked data from the RED4 CCD due to a hardware issue, creating a gap in the middle of image products and reducing the color swath to 1 CCD width. We are investigating the hardware issue and may be able to acquire some RED4 data in the future.

Glacial (Ice) or Lava Flow?
The geologic setting and latitude here suggest this is a glacial (ice-rich) flow, but the surface is broken into plates like many lava flows on Mars.