Meander in Valley Network
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Meander in Valley Network
PSP_009706_2125  Science Theme: Climate Change
The central portion of this image includes a portion of a valley network in Arabia Terra. In lower resolution images, this meander (a bend in a valley) appeared discontinuous - hence its selection as a target for HiRISE. However, at HiRISE resolution the valley is visible throughout its course.

This is a mid-latitude scene where ground ice is believed to be stable relatively near the surface today. The mottled terrain visible throughout the image could be a sublimation texture. Sublimation occurs when ice goes directly to the gas phase. When this happens, the space beneath the subsurface that the ice previously occupied is now empty, allowing the remaining surface to collapse and form the observed texture.

Several of the craters in this scene have flattened appearances, which may have resulted from ice-rich material being driven by gravity into the crater centers.



Written by: Kelly Kolb  (26 November 2008)
 
Acquisition date
21 August 2008

Local Mars time
15:24

Latitude (centered)
32.032°

Longitude (East)
44.964°

Spacecraft altitude
288.3 km (179.2 miles)

Original image scale range
from 28.9 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 57.8 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning)

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
3.6°

Phase angle
42.4°

Solar incidence angle
46°, with the Sun about 44° above the horizon

Solar longitude
115.9°, Northern Summer

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  6.4°
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   (977MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (485MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (481MB)
non-map           (341MB)

IRB color
map projected  (214MB)
non-map           (458MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (314MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (302MB)

RGB color
non map           (445MB)
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.