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| | | | | | | Mars: how low can you go?
8 October 2010
| To the left of the image is Melas Chasma, a part of the huge Valles Marineris rift valley, which stretches for more than 4000 km across the face of Mars. Melas Chasma itself sinks 9 km below the surrounding plains, on the right of the image, making it one of the lowest depressions on Mars. This image covers 200 x 100 km and covers an area of roughly 20 000 sq km, which is about the size of Slovenia.
Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) | |  |  | |
| | | | | On 1 July 2006, the High-Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft obtained images of Melas Chasma at approximately 10°S/290°E. The data were acquired during orbit 3195 and the resolution of the image is approximately 23 m per pixel.
Credits: NASA MGS MOLA Science Team | | | | |
| | | | | Melas Chasma is part of the huge Valles Marineris rift valley, which stretches for more than 4000 km across the face of Mars. Melas Chasma itself sinks 9 km below the surrounding surface, making it one of the lowest depressions on Mars. This image was created using a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) obtained from the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. Elevation data from the DTM are colour-coded: purple indicates the lowest-lying regions, and beige the highest elevations. The scale is in metres.
Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) | | | | |
| | | | | Melas Chasma is part of the huge Valles Marineris rift valley on Mars. Melas Chasma itself sinks 9 km below the surrounding surface, making it one of the lowest depressions on the planet. Landslides have created huge fans of rubble at the base of the cliff.
Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) | | | | |
| | | | | Melas Chasma is part of the huge Valles Marineris rift valley on Mars. Melas Chasma itself sinks 9 km below the surrounding surface, making it one of the lowest depressions on the planet. The flow patterns in the canyon floor show that it must once have been covered by liquid water or water ice.
Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) | | | | |
| | | | | Melas Chasma shows evidence of multiple large-scale landslides that have created vast fan shapes of material (box 1). The smoother surface seen further into the basin display flow textures indicating that they were once deposited by liquid water, water ice or mud (box 2). Levees of sediment can also been seen here. On the high plateau at the top of the cliff, a few ancient valleys have been preserved (box 3). The orientation of the largest one is parallel to the edge of the cliff, which may indicate that the valley originally followed an old fault line. Light-coloured deposits are present in the basin and at elevated locations on the flank (box 4). These are sulphates, which could have formed in an ancient lake.
Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) | | | | |
| | | | | Melas Chasma is part of the huge Valles Marineris rift valley on Mars. Melas Chasma itself sinks 9 km below the surrounding surface, making it one of the lowest depressions on the planet. On 1 July 2006, the High-Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft obtained images of Melas Chasma at approximately 10°S/290°E. The data were acquired during orbit 3195 and this image was derived from the HRSC nadir channel, which provides the highest detail of all the channels.
Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) | | | | |
| | | | | Melas Chasma is part of the huge Valles Marineris rift valley on Mars. Melas Chasma itself sinks 9 km below the surrounding surface, making it one of the lowest depressions on the planet. On 1 July 2006, the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft obtained images of Melas Chasma at approximately 10°S/290°E. The data were acquired during orbit 3195 and the resolution of the image is approximately 23 m per pixel. Combining data from the nadir channel and one stereo channel of HRSC produced this 3D image. Stereoscopic glasses are required to see the 3D effect. This image covers 200 x 100 km and covers an area of roughly 20 000 sq km, which is about the size of Slovenia.
Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) | | | | |
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