PIA19121: Eroding Terrain in Arabia Terra


Eroding Terrain in Arabia Terra

Caption:

Click here for larger version of PIA19121
Map Projected Browse Image
Click on the image for larger version

This image, approximately 1.5 x 3 kilometers , shows a sample of eroded Martian terrain in Arabia Terra.

At one time this was a flat smooth terrain, but over time it has been eroded (most likely by the wind) forming depressed, low-lying areas where we see many small dunes. The dunes resemble waves in the ocean, whereas in other areas we see small flat-top hills forming.

Background Info:

HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
Instrument Host Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Host Type Orbiter
Instrument High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
Detector
Extra Keywords Color, Dune, Map
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2014-12-18
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19121
Identifier PIA19121