Collapse Pit in Tractus Fossae
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Collapse Pit in Tractus Fossae
ESP_011386_2065  Science Theme: Volcanic Processes
This HiRISE image shows a collapse pit in Tractus Fossae, a region of large ridges and troughs created by tectonic activity.

The fossae occur on the Tharsis volcanic rise, a giant region of enhanced volcanic activity that includes the three large volcanoes Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons and Arsia Mons.

The pit in this image has very steep walls, and so only a narrow arc is illuminated by sunlight. The rest of the pit is in dark shadow. However, a stretched version of the image shows details of the pit floor, due to a small amount of scattered sunlight.

Pits like this form by collapse into underground voids, such as those left by propagating magma-filled dikes. They may sometimes have overhanging walls, although in this case the walls can be seen and appear nearly vertical. Some similar features are found on Earth: Devil’s Throat, in Hawaii, is one example. Other similar examples have been imaged on Mars as well.

Written by: Colin Dundas  (9 March 2009)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_011531_2065.
 
Acquisition date
30 December 2008

Local Mars time
15:46

Latitude (centered)
26.143°

Longitude (East)
259.359°

Spacecraft altitude
280.0 km (174.0 miles)

Original image scale range
28.2 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~85 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
6.7°

Phase angle
54.5°

Solar incidence angle
61°, with the Sun about 29° above the horizon

Solar longitude
182.8°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  347.4°
JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (977MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (427MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (501MB)
non-map           (452MB)

IRB color
map projected  (140MB)
non-map           (378MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (226MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (217MB)

RGB color
non map           (371MB)
ANAGLYPHS
Map-projected, reduced-resolution
Full resolution JP2 download
Anaglyph details page

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.