PIA22728: The Pits of Elysium Mons


The Pits of Elysium Mons

Caption:

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Map Projected Browse Image
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During the 2018 Mars dust storm, we obtained a clear view of the summit of the giant volcano Elysium Mons. We see the western rim and floor of the caldera, and a chain of pits (called a "catena") extending from the caldera towards the north. The chain of pits likely formed by volcanic processes, such as the collapse of a lava tube after it drained. Or by a tectonic process, such as a rift in the rocks below that drained loose material from the surface.

An unexpected feature of this catena is the presence of avalanches in two of the pits ( marked A and B in the cutout , with the uphill direction towards the top of the image.) The flows in both pits could be ancient, produced during the formation of the catena, but they are not found in the other pits in the chain. They might have formed more recently by the collapse of steep dust deposits like those in a degraded crater to the left of the catena (marked C).

The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 54.3 centimeters (21.4 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 163 centimeters (64.2 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.

Background Info:

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 Caltech in Pasadena, California, 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 Atmosphere, Color, Crater, Dust, Map, Mountain, Storm, Volcano
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2018-10-15
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22728
Identifier PIA22728