Wind, Water, and Lava

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Caption:

Released 18 June 2003

The three main geological agents acting on the Martian surface are visible in this image, within an outflow channel to the east of the Tharsis volcanos and north of Valles Marineris. In a wide channel previously eroded by water, linear features have been eroded into the rock by the wind. Later, lava flows embayed the streamlined rocks. A second, younger flow lobe is visible at the bottom of the image.

Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 17, Longitude 283.6 East (76.4 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

Background Info:

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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