This image shows several parallel segments of the Cerberus Fossae. This is a system of fissures formed by extension and stretching of the near-surface of Mars. It is associated with some of the most recent large-scale events on the planet.

The Athabasca Valles channel system has its source at one segment of the Cerberus Fossae. This channel was most likely carved by a massive flood of water, perhaps released by the same tectonic processes which formed the fossae. Cerberus Fossae then extruded a large lava flow that draped Athabasca Valles. HiRISE images were recently used to describe details of this history in a paper published in the journal Science (Jaeger et al., Science, volume 317).

In the RGB false-color, this image shows a striking contrast. The plains are a generally bland beige, while the floors of the fissures are bright blue. Since the fissure walls are cutting through the lava which makes up the plains, the blue color probably indicates relatively dust-free exposed rock, while the beige is due to dust coating the level plains. Although the Cerberus Fossae released lava in places, at this site there is no evidence for a vent and the fissures have simply cut through pre-existing lava.
Written by: Colin Dundas

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: Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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.