• → European Space Agency

      • Space for Europe
      • Space News
      • Space in Images
      • Space in Videos
    • About Us

      • Welcome to ESA
      • DG’s blog
      • For Member State Delegations
      • Business with ESA
      • Law at ESA
      • ESA Exhibitions
      • ESA Publications
      • Careers at ESA
      • ESAshop
    • Our Activities

      • Space News
      • Observing the Earth
      • Human and Robotic Exploration
      • Space Transportation
      • Navigation
      • Space Science
      • Space Engineering & Technology
      • Operations
      • Telecommunications & Integrated Applications
      • Preparing for the Future
    • Careers at ESA

    • For Media

      • Media
      • ESA TV
      • Videos for professionals
      • Photos
    • For Educators

    • For Kids

    • ESA

    • ESA Science

    • Mars Express

    • Europe goes to Mars

      • Europe reclaims a stake in Mars exploration
      • Space age transforms our knowledge about Mars
    • About Mars Express

      • Mars Express mission facts
      • Mars Express instruments
      • The mission
      • The spacecraft
      • The launcher
    • About Mars

      • Geography of Mars
      • Water on early Mars?
      • Facts about Mars
    • Meet the team

      • International collaboration
      • Mission team
      • Operations
      • Industry
    • Multimedia
    • Mars Express images
    • Mars Express videos
    • Services
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Follow us
    • ESA Sci on Twitter

    ESA > Our Activities > Space Science > Mars Express

    Craters within the Hellas Basin
    Craters within the Hellas Basin

    Mars Deep down

    18 August 2014

    Scarring the southern highlands of Mars is one of the Solar System’s largest impact basins: Hellas, with a diameter of 2300 km and a depth of over 7 km.

    Hellas is thought to have formed between 3.8 and 4.1 billion years ago, when a large asteroid hit the surface of Mars. Since its formation, Hellas has been subject to modification by the action of wind, ice, water and volcanic activity.

    Impact craters have also since pock-marked this vast basin floor, two of which are the focus of this image, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express on 17 December 2013. The ground resolution is about 15 metres per pixel.

    These craters lie in the deepest, western portion of Hellas, and such a clear view is unusual because dust clouds typically obscure the basin floor. Indeed, this region seems to be covered by a thick blanket of dust.

    The larger of the two craters is about 25 km across. A flow of material appears to have been transported from the top left of the scene and into the crater. Zooming in to the smooth mound and the area immediately around it reveals interesting textures that likely resulted from this flow.

    Flow features are also seen outside of the craters, and in particular, at the centre left of the image near the top of the frame. Material also seems to have cascaded from the larger crater’s rim and into a neighbouring smaller crater, at the far left of the image.

    The morphology of many features in the Hellas Basin and its surroundings strongly suggests the presence of ice and glaciers.

    For example, in the foreground and around the crater rim, polygons of patterned ground are visible which indicates the presence of water – this pattern occurs when fine grained and porous wet soil freezes.

    Indeed, in the deepest parts of the basin, the atmospheric pressure is about 89% higher than at the surface, which may even offer conditions suitable for water. Radar images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggest that some craters in Hellas might contain water-ice glaciers several hundred metres thick, buried under layers of dust.

    See more images from this region at the DLR website and in this previous ESA release.

    Rate this

    Views

    Share

    • Currently 4.5 out of 5 Stars.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    Rating: 4.7/5 (107 votes cast)

    Thank you for rating!

    You have already rated this page, you can only rate it once!

    Your rating has been changed, thanks for rating!

    12357
    Tweet
    • ESA Space Science Portal
    • Space Live
      Space Live
      Space science image gallery
    • Looking at Mars
    • Mars Express blog
    • Mars Webcam
    • More about...
      • Mars Express overview
      • Mars Express 10 year brochure
      • Related links
      • HRSC at DLR
        • Behind the lens...
          • Frequently asked questions
          • ESA Planetary Science archive (PSA)
          • NASA Planetary Data System
          • HRSC data viewer
          • In depth
          • Mars Express in depth
          • Mars Express top 10 discoveries
          • Follow us
          • ESA Space Science Image of the Week on Flickr
          • ESA 3D on Flickr
          • ESA Sci on Twitter
    • App Store
    • Subscribe
    • mobile version
    • FAQ

    • Site Map

    • Contacts

    • Terms and conditions