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
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 |