Frosted Gully Landforms
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Frosted Gully Landforms
ESP_027647_1395  Science Theme: Seasonal Processes
This image shows a crater wall in the Southern Hemisphere, with gully landforms.

Gullies like these are mostly found in the mid-latitudes, between 30-50 degrees north or south. In the Martian winter, frost (mostly carbon dioxide) can build up in the gullies, especially on the cold slopes that face the pole.

The bright, bluish (enhanced-color) frost can be clearly seen in the upper alcoves of gullies here. We now know that Martian gullies are active, and that most changes occur in the winter. It is likely that frost like this causes the activity in some way.

Written by: Colin Dundas (narration: Tre Gibbs)  (18 July 2012)
 
Acquisition date
19 June 2012

Local Mars time
15:29

Latitude (centered)
-40.106°

Longitude (East)
204.801°

Spacecraft altitude
251.0 km (156.0 miles)

Original image scale range
50.9 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~153 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
50 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
7.3°

Phase angle
82.6°

Solar incidence angle
77°, with the Sun about 13° above the horizon

Solar longitude
127.2°, Northern Summer

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  96°
Sub-solar azimuth:  46.3°
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   (191MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (114MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (99MB)
non-map           (103MB)

IRB color
map projected  (42MB)
non-map           (117MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (201MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (178MB)

RGB color
non map           (96MB)
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.