PIA08469: Into the Void
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of a chain of pits on a lava- and dust-covered plain northwest of Tharsis Tholus, one of the many volcanic constructs in the Tharsis region of Mars.
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) 
 Spacecraft:  Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter
 Instrument:  Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) 
 Product Size:  1024 x 1512 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1465  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA08469.tif (1.55 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA08469.jpg (205.8 kB)  

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

17 May 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of a chain of pits on a lava- and dust-covered plain northwest of Tharsis Tholus -- one of the many volcanic constructs in the Tharsis region of Mars. Pit chains, such as this one, are associated with the collapse of surface materials into subsurface voids formed by faulting and expansion -- or extension -- of the bedrock.

Location near: 16.4°N, 92.6°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: lower left
Season: Northern Winter

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2006-05-17