Released 16 June 2003

The platy surface texture observed in this THEMIS image of the vast plains southeast of the volcano Elysium Mons likely formed by very fluid cooling lava. Variations in the surface texture may reflect different cooling or flow rates of the lava. The lack of any large impact craters also points to a relatively young age for these volcanic materials. The two largest impact craters occur in the higher plateau unit indicating that these materials are older.

Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 11.6, Longitude 182.4 East (177.6 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.