Context image

The linear depressions at the top half of this VIS image are graben that are called Cerberus Fossae. Graben form where extensional tectonic forces allows blocks of material to subside between paired faults. Cerberus Fossae are located in Elysium Planitia, southeast of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex.

This graben is also the source of significant liquid flows, which created Athabasca Valles. The actual formation liquid proposed include flood water, low viscosity lava, and even glaciers. It is possible that water and lava both played a role in creating the channel system.

Orbit Number: 78821 Latitude: 10.1133 Longitude: 157.297 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-09-21 10:33

Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, 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.