PIA04289: Flows of Ascraeus
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows heavily-cratered lava flows on the slopes of the martian volcano, Ascraeus Mons on Mars. The mountain is a classic shield volcano, similar in many respects to the volcanoes of Hawaii.
 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:  672 x 1790 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1211  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA04289.tif (1.204 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA04289.jpg (252 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:

11 September 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows heavily-cratered lava flows on the slopes of the martian volcano, Ascraeus Mons. The mountain is a classic shield volcano, similar in many respects to the volcanoes of Hawai'i. Shield volcanoes typically form from silica-, oxygen-, and aluminum-bearing rocks that are enriched in iron and magnesium -- that is, basalt. The lava flows of Ascraeus Mons are most likely basaltic, as are the volcanic rocks in Gusev Crater that were examined by the Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, during its first year on the martian surface.

Location near: 10.3°N, 103.5°W
Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: lower left
Season: Northern Autumn

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2005-09-11