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Distributary Channels
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Caption:
MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-360, 14 May 2003
At the center of this February 2003 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image is a pattern of branching channels in an apron of debris that distributed the sediment and fluid carried by the large gully below (to the south) of them. The slope decreases from the bottom toward the top of the image-that is, everything is downhill from the bottom to the top. Middle- and polar-latitude gullies were first discovered in MOC images and reported in June 2000. The distributing channels found in this gully apron are a good indicator that the fluid responsible for the gully and distributary channels had properties like that of liquid water. However, of course, the exact nature of the fluid is unknown, because it is no longer present. This picture is located near 47.8°S, 355.6°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.
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 | Grayscale, Water | |
| Acquisition Date | ||
| Release Date | 2003-05-16 | |
| Date in Caption | 2003-05-14 | |
| Image Credit | NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems | |
| Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04519 | |
| Identifier | PIA04519 | |
