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Today's VIS image shows part of Aram Chaos. Aram Chaos was initially formed by a large impact. Over time the crater interior was modified by several different processes, including liquid water. Located near Ares Vallis, a narrow channel links the Aram Chaos crater with Ares Vallis indicating a substantial amount of water was located in the crater. Chaos forms from erosion of the surface into mesa features. With time the valleys expand creating the jumble of hills seen in the image. Aram Chaos is 280 km (175 miles) in diameter.

Orbit Number: 79214 Latitude: 2.40567 Longitude: 340.023 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-10-23 19:10

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.