MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-500, 1 October 2003

This 500th Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) captioned release shows some of the complex flow and channel features of the Olympica Fossae region in northern Tharsis. The story of the Olympica Fossae is still emerging and continues to be puzzling. There is evidence in the Olympica Fossae channels that a fluid with the physical properties of water may have been involved in creating some of the erosional forms, but there are also flow features suggestive of lava or mud in the region. Regardless, the Olympica Fossae almost always yield a very pretty and interesting MOC high resolution image. This picture is located near 24.5°N, 115.4°W. The area shown is 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and illuminated by sunlight from the lower left.