PIA08436: Under Attack


Under Attack

Caption:

7 May 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows wind-eroded outcrops overlying lava flow surfaces located west of Olympus Mons. Outcrops with this appearance are called yardangs. Yardangs typically form in sedimentary rock or volcanic ash that contains some amount of sand. The weathering of the rock and release of sand-sized particles from the outcrops, in the face of wind erosion, slowly shape the rock into the classic, inverted boat hull-like shapes of yardangs.

Location near : 13.2°N, 160.1°W
Image width : ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from : lower left
Season : Northern Spring

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, Mountain, Volcano
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2006-05-07
Date in Caption 2006-05-07
Image Credit NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08436
Identifier PIA08436