Bedform Changes in Aureum Chaos
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Bedform Changes in Aureum Chaos
ESP_021906_1765  Science Theme: Aeolian Processes
Aureum Chaos, located in the eastern part of Valles Marineris, is a complex area with light-toned material. Pits in this region are visible in MOC (Mars Orbital Camera) data. Does layering in the pits relate to the light-toned material at all?

This region is southwest of Aram Chaos, and like the name “chaos” suggests, the terrain is characterized by randomly oriented, large-scale mesas and knobs that are heavily eroded and dominate the area. (You might also see the phrase “chaotic terrain” used to describe such areas.)

The OMEGA experiment on Mars Express discovered clay minerals (phyllosilicates) in a variety places in Aureum Chaos. Since these minerals require water to form, it's possible large amounts were once here. The removal of that water is one of the ways the terrain was formed.

This caption is based on the original science rationale.

Written by: HiRISE Science Team  (2 May 2011)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_022183_1765.
 
Acquisition date
30 March 2011

Local Mars time
14:53

Latitude (centered)
-3.649°

Longitude (East)
333.756°

Spacecraft altitude
269.5 km (167.5 miles)

Original image scale range
26.9 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~81 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
2.3°

Phase angle
44.7°

Solar incidence angle
47°, with the Sun about 43° above the horizon

Solar longitude
264.3°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  333.9°
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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.