PIA03066: Zephyria Platy Flows


Zephyria Platy Flows

Caption:

22 October 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the broken, platy texture of flow surfaces in the Zephyria region of Mars. Some investigators have suggested that these materials represent the remains of an ice-covered lake; others suggest that these are the surfaces of hardened lava that -- when it was erupting -- was very hot and fluid. Although not illustrated here, a key piece of evidence against the ice-covered lake hypothesis is that there are some small craters formed on these surfaces (one can be seen in the lower left/southwest corner), and some of them have boulders in their ejecta. The boulders indicate that the material is rock-solid.

Location near : 5.3°N, 208.6°W
Image width : width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from : lower left
Season : Northern Autumn

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
Instrument Host Mars Global Surveyor
Host Type Orbiter
Instrument Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
Detector
Extra Keywords Crater, Grayscale
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2005-10-22
Date in Caption 2005-10-22
Image Credit NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03066
Identifier PIA03066