Volcanic Vent In Tharsis Region, Mars #1
by Nasa
Title
Volcanic Vent In Tharsis Region, Mars #1
Artist
Nasa
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
This is a cutout of image (bh5921). It depicts the area that lies between three sets of fractures - the Cyane Fossae, the Ceraunius Fossae, and the Olympic Fossae - on the flank of a low volcanic shield. The prominent trough in the HiRISE image is a volcanic vent. Shallow depressions with scalloped edges span the western (left) half of the vent. These may be places where lakes of lava once stood. The lava that ponded in the lakes probably drained back into the vent towards the end of the eruption. On the eastern (right) side of the subimage, small channels that once transported lava feed away from the vent to both the north and south. Originally, the vent must have been a deep and narrow fissure, but it has become more trough-like with time as material tumbled from its walls and settled on its floor. This "mass wasting" process has exposed lava flows in cross section in the walls of the trough.
Uploaded
March 14th, 2013
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for Volcanic Vent In Tharsis Region, Mars #1. Click here to post the first comment.