Fretted Terrains and Ground Deformation
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Fretted Terrains and Ground Deformation
ESP_017154_1390  Science Theme: Glacial/Periglacial Processes
This observation shows an excellent example of what is called “fretted terrain,” termed so because of the eroded appearance of the surface.

What causes this kind of terrain? One explanation is the sublimation of subsurface ground ice that goes directly from a solid state to a gaseous one. When that occurs, the material is removed and the ground can collapse in a jumbled pattern. The curving ridges and lineations could be indicative of slow movement of the ice-rich material, perhaps in a way that has similarities to rock glaciers on Earth.

Written by: HIRISE Science Team (narration: Tre Gibbs)  (16 October 2013)
 
Acquisition date
25 March 2010

Local Mars time
15:18

Latitude (centered)
-40.691°

Longitude (East)
115.747°

Spacecraft altitude
251.2 km (156.1 miles)

Original image scale range
50.3 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~151 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
50 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
0.0°

Phase angle
79.1°

Solar incidence angle
79°, with the Sun about 11° above the horizon

Solar longitude
68.5°, Northern Spring

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  51.1°
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non-map           (148MB)

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non-map           (108MB)

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RGB color
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IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
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Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
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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.