Views of Mars

Views of Mars


Mars with Clouds Mars With Cloud Cover

This image of mars came from a series of pictures taken by the Mars Global Surveyor wide angle cameras. A map was created and then wrapped around a sphere to generate this view of Mars. Here, bluish-white water ice clouds hang above the Tharsis volcanoes. (Copyright 2005 by Calvin J. Hamilton)




Planet Mars Large Mosaic of Mars

This image is a large mosaic of the Valles Marineris [VAL-less mar-uh-NAIR-iss] hemisphere of Mars. It is a view similar to that which one would see from a spacecraft. The lower center of the scene shows the entire Valles Marineris canyon system, more than 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) long and up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) deep, extending from Noctis Labyrinthus, the arcuate system of graben to the west, to the chaotic terrain to the east. Many huge ancient river channels begin from the chaotic terrain and north-central canyons and run north. Many of the channels flowed into a basin called Acidalia Planitia, which is the dark area in the extreme north of this picture. The three Tharsis volcanoes (dark red spots), each about 25 kilometers (16 miles) high, are visible to the west along with Olympus Mons the largest volcano on the planet. Very ancient terrain covered by many impact craters lies to the south of Valles Marineris. The polar cap can be seen to the north. (Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton)

Interior of Mars The Interior of Mars

The current understanding of the interior of Mars suggests that it can be modeled with a thin crust, similar to Earth's, a mantle and a core. Using four parameters, the Martian core size and mass can be determined. However, only three out of the four are known and include the total mass, size of Mars, and the moment of inertia. Mass and size was determined accurately from early missions. The moment of inertia was determined from Viking lander and Pathfinder Doppler data, by measuring the precession rate of Mars. The fourth parameter, needed to complete the interior model, will be obtained from future spacecraft missions. With the three known parameters, the model is significantly constrained. If the Martian core is dense (composed of iron) similar to Earth's or SNC meteorites thought to originate from Mars, then the minimum core radius would be about 1300 kilometers. If the core is made out of less-dense material such as a mixture of sulfur and iron, the maximum radius would probably be less than 2000 kilometers. (Copyright 1998 by Calvin J. Hamilton)

Topography Map of Mars Topography Map of Mars


This image is a newly released topographic map of Mars. The full range of topography on Mars is about 19 miles (30 kilometers), one and a half times the range of elevations found on Earth, The most curious aspect of the map is the striking difference between the planet's low, smooth Northern Hemisphere and the heavily cratered Southern Hemisphere," which sits, on average, about three miles (five kilometers) higher than the north. (Courtesy GSFC/NASA)

Schiaparelli Hemisphere of Mars Schiaparelli Hemisphere

This image is a mosaic of the Schiaparelli hemisphere of Mars. The center of this image is near the impact crater Schiaparelli, 450 kilometers (280 miles) in diameter. The dark streaks with bright margins emanating from craters in the Oxie Palus region, upper left of image, are caused by erosion and/or deposition by the wind. Bright white areas to the south, including the Hellas impact basin at extreme lower right, are covered by carbon dioxide frost. (Courtesy USGS)
Candor Chasm Central Candor Chasm - Oblique View


This image shows part of Candor Chasm in Valles Marineris. It is centered at Latitude -5.0, Longitude 70.0. The view is from the north looking into the chasm. Candor Chasm's geomorphology is complex, shaped by tectonics, mass wasting, wind, and perhaps by water and volcanism. (Courtesy USGS)



Candor Chasm West Candor Chasm (Enhanced Color)


This picture (centered at latitude 4° S, longitude 76° W) shows areas of central Valles Marineris, including Candor Chasm (lower left), Ophir Chasm (lower right), and Hebes Chasm (upper right). Complex layered deposits in the canyons may have been deposited in lakes, and if so, are of great interest for future searches for fossil life on Mars. The pinkish deposits in Candor Chasm may be due to hydrothermal alterations and the production of crystalline ferric oxides. ((Geissler et al., 1993, Icarus 106,380). Viking Orbiter Picture Numbers 279B02 (violet), 279B10 (green), and 279B12 (red) at 240 meters/pixel resolution. Picture width is 231 kilometers. North is 47° clockwise from top.)

Ophir Chasma Ophir Chasma


Ophir Chasma is a large west-northwest-trending trough about 100 km wide. The Chasma is bordered by 4 km high walled cliffs, most likely faults, that show spur-and-gully morphology and smooth sections. The walls have been dissected by landslides forming reentrants; one area (upper left) on the north wall shows a young landslide about 100 km wide. The volume of the landslide debris is more than 1000 times greater than that from the May 18, 1980 debris avalanche from Mount St. Helens. The longitudinal grooves seen in the foreground are thought to be due to differential shear and lateral spreading at high velocities. The landslide passes between mounds of interior layered deposits on the floor of the chasma. (Courtesy USGS)

Landslide in Valles Marineris Landslide in Valles Marineris


Although Valles Marineris originated as a tectonic structure, it has been modified by other processes. This image shows a close-up view of a landslide on the south wall of Valles Marineris. This landslide partially removed the rim of the crater that is on the plateau adjacent to Valles Marineris. Note the texture of the landslide deposit where it flowed across the floor of Valles Marineris. Several distinct layers can be seen in the walls of the trough. These layers may be regions of distinct chemical composition or mechanical properties in the Martian crust. (Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton; Caption: LPI)

Hubble Images of Mars HST 3 Views of Mars at Opposition


These Hubble Space Telescope views provide the most detailed complete global coverage of the Red Planet ever seen from Earth. The pictures were taken on February 25, 1995, when Mars was at a distance of 103 million kilometers (65 million miles). To the surprise of researchers, Mars is cloudier than seen in previous years. This means the planet is cooler and drier, because water vapor in the atmosphere freezes out to form ice-crystal clouds. The three images show the Tharsis, Valles Marineris and Syrtis Major regions. (Credit: Philip James, University of Toledo; Steven Lee, University of Colorado; and NASA)

Channel Ravi Vallis Outflow Source of Channel Ravi Vallis
This image of the head of Ravi Vallis shows a 300-kilometer (186-mile) long portion of a channel. Like many other channels that empty into the northern plains of Mars, Ravi Vallis orginates in a region of collapsed and disrupted ("chaotic") terrain within the planet's older, cratered highlands. Structures in these channels indicate that they were carved by liquid water moving at high flow rates. The abrupt beginning of the channel, with no apparent tributaries, suggests that the water was released under great pressure from beneath a confining layer of frozen ground. As this water was released and flowed away, the overlying surface collapsed, producing the disruption and subsidence shown here. Three such regions of chaotic collapsed material are seen in this image, connected by a channel whose floor was scoured by the flowing water. The flow in this channel was from west to east (left to right). This channel ultimately links up with a system of channels that flowed northward into Chryse Basin. (Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton; Caption: LPI)

Streamlined Islands Streamlined Islands
The water that carved the channels to the north and east of the Valles Marineris canyon system had tremendous erosive power. One consequence of this erosion was the formation of streamlined islands where the water encountered obstacles along its path. This image shows two streamlined islands that formed as the water was diverted by two 8-10 kilometer (5-6 mile) diameter craters lying near the mouth of Ares Vallis in Chryse Planitia. The water flowed from south to north (bottom to top of the image). The height of the scarp surrounding the upper island is about 400 meters (1,300 feet), while the scarp surrounding the southern island is about 600 meters (2,000 feet) high. (Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton; Caption: LPI)

Mars: Valley Network Valley Network
Unlike the features shown in the above two images, many systems on Mars do not show evidence of catastrophic flooding. Instead, they show a resemblance to drainage systems on Earth, where water acts at slow rates over long periods of time. As on Earth, the channels shown here merge together to form larger channels.

However, these valley networks are less developed than typical terrestrial drainage systems, with the Martian examples lacking small-scale streams feeding into the larger valleys. Because of the absence of small-scale streams in the Martian valley networks, it is thought that the valleys were carved primarily by ground water flow rather than by runoff of rain. Although liquid water is currently unstable on the surface of Mars, theoretical studies indicate that flowing groundwater might be able to form valley networks if the water flowed beneath a protective cover of ice. Alternatively, because the valley networks are confined to relatively old regions of Mars, their presence may indicate that Mars once possessed a warmer and wetter climate in its early history. (Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton; Caption: LPI)

Mars South Pole South Polar Cap
This image shows the south polar cap of Mars as it appears near its minimum size of about 400 kilometers (249 miles). It consists mainly of frozen carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide cap never melts completely. The ice appears reddish due to dust that has been incorporated into the cap. (Courtesy NASA)

Mars North Pole North Polar Cap
This image is an oblique view of the north polar cap of Mars. Unlike the south polar cap, the north polar cap probably consists of water-ice. (Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton)

Mars Laminated Terrain Polar Laminated Terrain
One of the discoveries of the Mariner 9 spacecraft was that the south polar cap of Mars was made of thin layers or laminations of ice and sediment. Four years later, on October 10, 1976, the Viking 2 spacecraft took this picture of the Martian north polar cap. The visible layering occurred as a result of wind born dust settling upon the polar cap. As the caps experience climatic variations, they expand and contract. The layers of dust sediment tend to grow thicker near the poles where ice deposits remain for longer periods of time. The thickness of the deposits indicates they were formed during cyclical climatic variation rather than annual changes. As ice withdraws from a region, wind exposes the layers sculpting valleys and scarps. The formation of layered deposits is an active process today. (Copyright 1998 by Calvin J. Hamilton)

Mars Dunefield Dunefield
This image shows several dune types which are found in the north circumpolar dunefield. This thumnail image shows a section of transverse dunes. The full image has a field of traverse dunes on the left and barchan dunes on the right with a transition zone inbetween. Transverse dunes are oriented perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction. They are long and linear, and frequently join their neighbor in a low-angle "Y" junction. Barchan dunes are crescent-shaped mounds with downwind-pointing horns. These dunes are comparable in size to the largest dunes found on the Earth. (Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton)

Mars Local Dust Storm Local Dust Storm
Local dust storms are relatively common on Mars. They tend to occur in areas of high topographic and/or high thermal gradients (usually near the polar caps), where surface winds would be strongest. This storm is several hundreds of kilometers in extent and is located near the edge of the south polar cap. Some local storms grow larger, others die out. (Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton; caption by LPI)

Mars: White Rock White Rock
This image shows a lesser known, but unusual feature on Mars. It is commonly called "White Rock". The white feature is eroded crater fill, but exactly how it was formed has not been satisfactorily explained. White Rock was not formed by polar processes because it lies near to the equator at latitude -8 degrees and longitude 355 degrees. It has been modified through aeolian erosion showing transverse and longitudinal erosional features. (Copyright 1998 by Calvin J. Hamilton)

Martian Atmosphere Martian Atmosphere
This oblique image taken by the Viking orbiter spacecraft shows a thin band of the Martian atmosphere. This image looks northeast across the Argyre basin. The Argyre basin is about 600 kilometers across with a rugged rim of about 500 kilometers in width. (Copyright 1997 by Calvin J. Hamilton)