Blocks in the Olympus Mons
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Blocks in the Olympus Mons
PSP_003450_1975  Science Theme: Volcanic Processes
The aureole that surrounds the Western and Northern sectors of Olympus Mons has puzzled Mars geologists. The most common idea is that these deposits formed as giant land slides as the volcano partially collapsed under its own weight.

This HiRISE image is centered on a dark and relatively dust-free part of the aureole. Where the dust has been stripped off, swirling bands of darker and lighter rocks are visible. These suggest gently warped layers that have been exposed by erosion. In fact, many of the small pinnacles and mesas in this area are being eroded by the wind in the same way as layered deposits in other parts of Mars.

However, there are also blocks that shed dark material, that could be broken up lava rock. The many dunes in the area suggest that much of the debris is sand sized.



Written by: Laszlo Kestay  (30 May 2007)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_012060_1975.
 
Acquisition date
22 April 2007

Local Mars time
15:28

Latitude (centered)
17.429°

Longitude (East)
216.694°

Spacecraft altitude
280.5 km (174.3 miles)

Original image scale range
28.1 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~84 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
2.9°

Phase angle
64.6°

Solar incidence angle
62°, with the Sun about 28° above the horizon

Solar longitude
223.8°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  334.4°
JPEG
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JP2
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JP2 EXTRAS
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map-projected  (779MB)
non-map           (708MB)

IRB color
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non-map           (507MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (324MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (312MB)

RGB color
non map           (502MB)
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.