PIA08766: Rippley Channel
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows narrow channel on the upper east flank of the martian volcano, Hadriaca Patera. Located on a volcano, this channel was likely formed by lava, perhaps as a lava tube at which the thin roof later collapsed.
 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 1806 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1589  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA08766.tif (1.851 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA08766.jpg (267.6 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:

18 September 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a narrow channel on the upper east flank of the martian volcano, Hadriaca Patera. Because it is located on a volcano, most likely this channel was formed by lava, perhaps as a lava tube at which the thin roof later collapsed. Large ripples of windblown sediment now occur on the channel floor; their crests are generally perpendicular to the channel walls, suggesting that winds blow up and down through this channel.

Location near: 30.5°S, 266.2°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Autumn

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2006-09-18