Mars Surface Features

High-resolution images of Martian landscapes showing channels, craters, and geological formations, depicting Mars's complex surface.

Today's VIS image shows part of an unnamed channel in Arabia Terra. Orbit Number 81023 Latitude -5.09236 Longitude 352.53 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-03-20 18 00

This VIS image contains a section of one of the many channel forms found on the northwestern side of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. The channel features are thought to have both a tectonic and volcanic origin. The linear depression resembles a graben (formed by tectonic forces) and the smaller sinuous channels to the top of the image more closely resemble features caused by fluid flow - either lava or water created by melting subsurface ice by volcanic heating. Orbit Number 72646 Latitude 29.3486 Longitude 140.473 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-04-30 21 04

Slope Streaks

This VIS image shows part of the inner rim of an unnamed crater in southern Arabia Terra. Numerous dark streaks mark the slopes of the inner rim. There are several suggested mechanisms to form these features. Two of the mechanisms are that the dusty surface has been altered to reveal darker rock beneath from motion of downward moving dust, or the surface is darkening by fluid or other surface staining. Orbit Number 80336 Latitude 14.689 Longitude 9.26971 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-01-24 04 30

Part of the western wall of Shalbatana Vallis has collapsed and formed a landslide

Today's VIS image shows a section of Kasei Valles. This complex channel arose in the Tharsis voclanic region and flowed eastward into Chryse Planitia. Chryse Planitia is a large circular basin, probably formed by a meteor impact. Orbit Number 80675 Latitude 26.039 Longitude 307.827 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-02-21 02 28

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows parts of two craters located at the southern end of Tempe Fossae.

Tempe Terra

$This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of Sirenum Fossae. The fractures of the Fossae are graben -- a downdropped block between two faults.$

With the extensive amount of dust and sandy materials on Mars, dunes are a pervasive feature. Many dunes are small, like the ones in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The bright 'squiggles' in this image are small dunes.

Eroding Layers in an Impact Crater

These dark dunes captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey are located on the floor of Danielson Crater in Meridiani Planum.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Rzvius Valles, located on the northern flank of Alba Mons.

The channels in this image are located on the northwestern flank of Alba Mons. They are likely lava channels rather than water carved channels.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the start of Mamers Valles.

Proposed MSL site in Xanthe/Hypanis Vallis

This complex set of dunes is located in an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Channels

The channel seen in this VIS image is a tributary channel of Ares Vallis. This channel is not as deep as the main channel and parallels Ares Vallis before joining the the deeper channel at one of its bends. This channel is located in Margaritifer Terra. Orbit Number 79863 Latitude 8.01076 Longitude 335.715 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-12-16 05 45

Iani Chaos

The flows in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft originated at Alba Mons.

An unusual layer of smooth material covers the flanks of the volcano Peneus Patera just south of the Hellas Basin, seen here in a crater on the patera rim. Though smooth on its upper surface, the layer is pitted by a process of erosion that produces steep scarps facing the south pole and more gentle slopes in the direction of the equator. The style of erosion of the smooth layer suggests that ice of some form plays a role in shaping this terrain. Orbit Number 84409 Latitude -57.5964 Longitude 54.2339 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-12-24 12 31

This image shows part of Rubicon Valles located on the northwestern flank of Alba Mons seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Cerulli Channels

Ridges From Fractures

Lava Channel

This small channel is located on the western flank of Alba Mons. This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Gravity driven slope modification creates the dark marks on the crater rim in this unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Kasei Channels

NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey image shows a field of dark dunes on the floor of an unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria.

Channel

This landslide occurred in Coprates Chasma

$One of the Cerberus Fossae fractures cuts through the plains and highlands in this image$

Today's VIS image shows a small field of sand dunes on the floor of Bamberg Crater. Orbit Number 77666 Latitude 39.3767 Longitude 356.912 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-06-18 08 04

Lobate Apron in Deuteronilus Mensae

Today's VIS image shows the floor of Matara Crater. A large sand sheet with surface dune forms dominates the floor of this crater located in Noachis Terra. Matara Crater is 48km (30 miles) in diamenter. Orbit Number 83817 Latitude -49.4556 Longitude 34.895 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-11-05 19 05

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the dunes on the floor of Bogia Crater, a crater in Hellas Planitia.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of Mamers Valles.

This image shows a region near Olympus Mons where wind has been moving loose material across the lava flows in the center of the image

The bizarre patterns on the floor of this crater in Nilosyrtis Mensae imaged by NASA's Mars Odyssey defy an easy explanation. It is possible that some form of periglacial process combined with the vaporization of ground ice to form these patterns.

The small channel and lava flows in this image NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located northeast of Olympus Mons.

These dunes occur in the Syrtis Major volcanic complex, near Meroe Patera

The wind etched region in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey on July 23, 2010 is called Zephyria Planum.

Odd Texture

This VIS image shows a small portion of the lava flows that comprise Daedalia Planum. The flows originated at Arsia Mons, the youngest of the three Tharsis volcanoes. The Tharsis volcanoes are aligned in a northeast trending system. The majority of the Daedalia Planum flows can be traced back to the southern flank of Arsia Mons along the extension of the controlling alignment. Orbit Number 71932 Latitude -24.5979 Longitude 235.782 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-03-03 01 09

The windstreaks in this image are located on Tharsis volcanic flows northeast of Olympus Mons

The dunes in this image are located on the floor of Herschel Crater as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows a channel within a region of chaos NW of Nili Fossae; on Mars, the term 'chaos' terrain is given to regions where areas of the surface are broken up into multiple mesas divided by low valleys.

The martian region called Deuteronilus is characterized by hills and mesas surrounded by broad debris slopes. Some of the slopes have surface markings that may indicate volatiles are mixed in with the debris

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Labou Vallis.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of the hills that make up Phlegra Montes.

Dark Slope Streaks

This pair of craters seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey just north of the Hellas Basin demonstrate the rugged topography that can result when an impact occurs on the rim of an existing crater.

The channels in this image are part of a multitude of channels that dissect the eastern flank of Tempe Terra.

Crater Dunes

Tinia Vallis Channel

Craters within Craters

This VIS image shows a section of Shalbatana Vallis. Shalbatana Vallis is one of many channels that empty into Chryse Planitia. Orbit Number 71904 Latitude 8.70914 Longitude 319.411 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-02-28 17 58

Today's VIS image contains a section of one of the many channel forms found radial to the Elysium Mons volcanic complex. In this case the fossae are located to the west of Elysium Mons. Elysium Fossae are comprised of both linear and sinuous channels, usually interpreted to have both fluid and tectonic forces playing a part in the formation. The linear depression resembles a graben (formed by tectonic forces) and sinuous channel more closely resembles features caused by fluid flow - either lava or water created by melting subsurface ice due to volcanic heating. Orbit Number 94969 Latitude 25.7616 Longitude 137.829 Instrument VIS Captured 2023-05-13 01 21

NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey captured dark slope streaks, like the ones on the rim of a unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea, are thought to have been formed by material moving down slope due to gravity.

Today's VIS image shows the region where the northward flow of Kasei Valles turns to the east having split into two large channels. This image is located in the southern branch of Kasei Valles, called the Kasei Valles Canyon. Arising from Vallis Marineris and ending in Chryse Planitia, the valles is over 1,580 km long (982 miles), making Kasei Valles one of the largest outflow channels on Mars. The US/Canadian border from eastern Montana to western Idaho is ~ 972 miles in length. Orbit Number 79041 Latitude 21.9093 Longitude 288.446 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-10-09 13 24

This VIS image shows part of Hephaestus Fossae. Hephaestus Fossae is a complex channel system in Utopia Planitia near Elysium Mons. Orbit Number 94982 Latitude 19.5692 Longitude 123.658 Instrument VIS Captured 2023-05-14 03 00

Today's VIS image shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the three large aligned volcanoes in the Tharsis region. Arsia Mons' last eruption was 10s of million years ago. The different surface textures are created by differences in the lava viscosity and cooling rates. The lobate margins of each flow can be traced back to the start of each flow or to the point where they are covered by younger flows. Flows in Daedalia Planum can be as long as 180 km (111 miles). For comparison the longest Hawaiian lava flow is only 51 km (˜31 miles) long. The total area of Daedalia Planum is 2.9 million square km - more than four times the size of Texas. Orbit Number 90885 Latitude -14.5451 Longitude 243.782 Instrument VIS Captured 2022-06-10 18 34

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of a crater located north of Hecates Tholus. The radial grooves in the ejecta blanket are still visible around the crater rim.

This region of Terra Meridiani, imaged by NASA's Mars Odyssey, shows an old, heavily degraded channel that appears to terminate abruptly at the rim of a 10 km diameter crater, suggesting that the impact crater was created after the channel was formed.

Dark dunes are located on the floor of an unnamed crater inside Firsoff Crater in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Ridges

Lava Flows

This image shows part of the floor of Melas Chasma. Layered materials and sand are common in this section of canyon

$The lava channels and collapse features in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located near the summit of Arsia Mons. The fracture in the lower right part of the image marks the boundary of the summit caldera.$

This image, captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, shows that this portion of the rim of Henry Crater has numerous dark streaks located on the slopes of the inner crater wall.

Terra Sirenum Crater

Channel Floor Yardangs

This VIS image shows a small portion of the vast lava flow field of Daedalia Planum. The flows originate at Arsia Mons, the youngest of the three Tharsis volcanoes. Orbit Number 72493 Latitude -20.9092 Longitude 243.284 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-04-18 06 19

The two linear depressions at the bottom of today's VIS image are part of Cerberus Fossae. The features are termed graben and are formed by crustal extension that allows material to subside between paired tectonic faults. The straight sides and uniform depths are indications that these are tectonic features rather than channels caused by fluid erosion. Orbit Number 77361 Latitude 9.90217 Longitude 161.214 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-05-24 05 06

Today's VIS image shows an unnamed channel in northern Terra Cimmeria. Two impact craters occur along the length of the channel. The crater rims are higher than the channel floor and are not breached. This observation means the craters are on top of the channel, and therefore are younger than the channel. Figuring out which feature formed first is called relative dating. We don't know the absolute ages of either the channel or the impact craters, or how much time elapsed between the channel being carved and the impacts that resulted in the craters. All we can say is what feature formed first. Orbit Number 78398 Latitude -2.18803 Longitude 123.026 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-08-17 14 31

This image shows a small portion of Nirgal Vallis.

Crater floors can have a range of features, from flat to a central peak or a central pit. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea has a central pit.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located on the eastern margin of Terra Sabaea.

This ejecta blanket surrounding this small unnamed crater on the margin of Eumenides Dorsum has steep margins created by erosion

Numerous channels, also called gullies, dissect the rim of this unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. Orbit Number 74808 Latitude -37.8867 Longitude 32.9162 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-10-25 22 51

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft show long term winds have etched the surface in Memnonia Sulci. Partial cemented surface materials are easily eroded by the wind, forming linear ridges called yardangs.

The crater in this image has affected the flow of lava around it, creating a streamlined island

The lava flows and channel in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the eastern margin of Olympus Mons.

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Mamers Valles. Mamers Valles is a large and complex channel system on the northern margin of Arabia Terra.

This image NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft of the northwestern end of Gordii Dorsum shows both the dorsum material that has been eroded by the wind, and the edge of the dorsum where it meets Amazonis Planitia.

$One of the tectonic fractures of Cerberus Fossae is visible at the bottom of this image taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey on June 25, 2010.$

MSIP: Hale Crater

Cerulli Channels

This large sand sheet and dune field is located on the floor of Juventae Chasma

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows two craters in Terra Cimmeria just north of Kepler Crater. The small crater in the middle of the image is a relatively new crater.

Channel

This image, taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey, shows a short section of Nirgal Vallis. Several tributaries are visible in this image.

Today's VIS image shows a portion of Kasei Valles. Kasei Valles is one of the largest outflow channel systems on Mars, in places up to 482 km (300 miles) wide and 1580 km (982 miles) long. For comparison, the Grand Canyon in Arizona is is only 29 km (18 miles) at its widest and only 446 km (277 miles) long. Kasei Valles flows eastward through Lunae Planum and empties into Chryse Planitia. Orbit Number 80538 Latitude 24.6507 Longitude 300.343 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-02-09 19 44

Today's VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater in Utopia Planitia. The ejecta surrounding the crater rim shows both layering and radial grooves. These features formed during the impact event. Orbit Number 77363 Latitude 38.7001 Longitude 99.283 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-05-24 09 13

Valley Networks

The windstreak in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located on the northwestern plains of Daedalia Planum.

Semeykin Drainage

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Gasa Crater, a small crater within a larger crater.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Gale Crater, the home of the Curiosity Rover.

This NASA Mars Odyssey image shows several 'fretted' channels within Deuteronilus Mensae in the northern plains of Mars. These linear troughs appear to have been extensively modified by surficial processes.

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