HiRISE | Mesas in Aureum Chaos (ESP_016869

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Mesas in Aureum Chaos
ESP_016869_1775 Science Theme: Volcanic Processes

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This image reveals the meter-scale surface textures of mesas and knobs in the Aureum Chaos region of Mars.

Aureum Chaos is a wide region of plateaus, mesas, and knobs. Most of the rocks in this area appear to have formed originally as laterally continuous layers through volcanic or sedimentary processes. Loss of groundwater or ground ice could have then caused the ground to collapse, forming the network of deep valleys and isolated hills we see today. Subtle layering of these rocks can be observed along many slope faces jutting out from under a mantle of surface sediments.

Also present along many slopes are dark-toned, discontinuous lineations. These are tracks left behind by boulders that rolled down the slopes. These boulders are often located at the down hill end of the tracks.

Written by: Chris Okubo (31 March 2010)

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Acquisition date:	02 March 2010	Local Mars time:	3:05 PM
Latitude (centered):	-2.454 degrees	Longitude (East):	332.154 degrees
Range to target site:	268.9 km (168.0 miles)	Original image scale range:	26.9 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~81 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale:	25 cm/pixel and North is up	Map projection:	EQUIRECTANGULAR
Emission angle:	3.0 degrees	Phase angle:	48.9 degrees
Solar incidence angle:	51 degrees, with the Sun about 39 degrees above the horizon	Solar longitude:	58.8 degrees, Northern Spring
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North azimuth:	97 degrees	Sub-solar azimuth:	35.6 degrees
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North azimuth:	270 degrees	Sub solar azimuth:	210.1 degrees

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For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov. 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. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. The image data were processed using the U.S. Geological Survey’s ISIS3 software.