This week we will be examining images of Tyrrhena Patera and its surroundings. Tyrrhena Patera is one of several moderate sized volcanoes located in the Martian southern highlands. While the volcanic edifice is only moderate in size (when compared to the larger Tharsis volcanoes), the surrounding volcanic materials cover an extensive area. Deep eroded channels on the slope of the volcano indicate that the volcano itself is likely composed of pyroclastic materials rather than flow materials.

Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -21.3, Longitude 106.7 East (253.3 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.