PIA24911: When Did the Light-Toned Layers Form?


When Did the Light-Toned Layers Form?

Caption:

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Map Projected Browse Image
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Light-toned layered deposits are found throughout central Valles Marineris. Most of the deposits tend to be towards the center of the depressions, away from the walls that define our solar system's largest canyon.

In this image of northwestern Candor Chasma, the light-toned layered deposits are adjacent to the walls. If the deposits are on top of the walls, then we know they were laid down after the chasma had already formed. However, if they are outcropping from within the walls, then they are older deposits that pre-date the chasma's formation.

Determining when the light-toned layered deposits formed is important for understanding the geologic history of Valles Marineris, especially because these deposits are hydrated and most likely formed in the presence of liquid water.

The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 26.6 centimeters [10.5 inches] per pixel [with 1 x 1 binning]; objects on the order of 53.3 centimeters [21.0 inches] across are resolved.) North is up.

Background Info:

The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Mariner
Instrument Host Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Host Type Orbiter Flyby Spacecraft
Instrument High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
Detector
Extra Keywords Color, Map, Water
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2021-09-29
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24911
Identifier PIA24911