PIA02874: The Pits
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of a pit chain on the lower, northern flank of the giant martian volcano, Arsia Mons.
 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:  1672 x 8935 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1395  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA02874.tif (14.96 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA02874.jpg (1.629 MB)  

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:

8 March 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of a pit chain on the lower, northern flank of the giant martian volcano, Arsia Mons. Pits such as these commonly form as a result of collapse of surface materials into a subsurface void, possibly along a fault or into an old lava tube. The layered material, exposed near the top of several of the pits, is shedding house-sized boulders which can be seen resting on the sloping sidewalls and floors of many of the pits.

Location near: 6.7°S, 120.1°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: lower left
Season: Southern Summer

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2006-03-08