PIA03589: Light-toned Rocks


Light-toned Rocks

Caption:

23 November 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows light-toned rock outcrops in northeastern Sinus Meridiani. The entire northern Sinus Meridiani region has vast exposures of light-toned, layered rock, covering an area many times greater than that of all the famous sandstone, limestone, and shale outcrops of northern Arizona and southeastern Utah. The rocks in this image are probably similar to those explored by the Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, but probably are of a different age and position in the region's geologic history.

MGS MOC and Mars Odyssey THEMIS images were recently used to describe the complex geology of the Sinus Meridiani region, as detailed in the open access Mars journal article, "The sedimentary rocks of Sinus Meridiani: Five key observations from data acquired by the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey orbiters," by Malin Space Science Systems' K. S. Edgett. The paper is available at: doi:10.1555/mars.2005.0002 .

Location near : 0.3°S, 356.0°W
Image width : width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from : lower left
Season : Southern Summer

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Instrument Host Mars Global Surveyor Mars Odyssey, Opportunity (MER-B)
Host Type Orbiter Rover
Instrument Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
Detector
Extra Keywords Grayscale
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2005-11-23
Date in Caption 2005-11-23
Image Credit NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03589
Identifier PIA03589