Mars Terrain Exploration

High-resolution images from Mars showcasing diverse geological features like valleys, craters, and chaotic terrains captured by spacecraft.

Channels
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365 assets in this story
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows graben called Claritas Fossae.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small section of Evros Vallis. Evros Vallis is located in the northern part of Noachis Terra.
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This type of 'broken-up' terrain is called chaos. At the bottom right corner of the image there is evidence of deposition of material.
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The channels in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located between Ares Vallis, a large channel, and Siinka Vallis, a much smaller channel.
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This unnamed crater is noticeably younger than the other craters in this image. Note the easily identifiable ejecta blanket. This crater is located in the Phlegra Montes
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Today's VIS image shows a portion of an unnamed channel in Arabia Terra. Orbit Number 79850 Latitude -5.14669 Longitude 352.509 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-12-15 03 59
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The elongated hills in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are a feature termed yardangs.
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Canyons of Aeolis Mensae
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of Huo Hsing Vallis, located on the northern margin of Terra Sabaea.
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Channels
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Today's VIS image shows one of the linear depressions that form Nili Fossae. Nili Fossae is a collection of curved faults and down-dropped blocks of crust between the faults called graben. The graben lie northeast of the large volcano Syrtis Major and northwest of the ancient impact basin Isidis Planitia. Orbit Number 78911 Latitude 22.6314 Longitude 78.9859 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-09-28 20 29
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A portion of an ancient channel called the Huo Hsing Vallis is seen in the center of this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey. As with all channel forms on Mars, it was carved by some moving fluid but that fluid can not automatically be assumed to be water.
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The gravity driven motion of material downhill has swept away some of the bright dust on the rim of this unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea as seen by NASA's Mars Odyssey.
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A small fan-shaped delta is located where a channel meets the floor of this unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria, as shown in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons.
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Yardangs are present at the top of this VIS image. These features are created by long term winds scouring a poor cemented surface material into linear ridges and valleys. These yardangs are part of the Medusa Fossae Formation. It has been suggested that this region of Mars provides a large percentage of the surface dust seen around the planet. Ash falls from nearby volcanoes may have been the source of the surface materials eroded into these and other wind eroded landforms. Orbit Number 77922 Latitude -12.7644 Longitude 177.96 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-07-09 09 43
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This unnamed channel is located in Terra Cimmeria as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.
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Eroded Crater Ejecta
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of one of the numerous unnamed channels that dissect the northern margin of Arabia Terra.
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This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Nanedi Valles.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Samara Valles.
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Windstreaks in this image indicate winds from the east to west in this region of Meridiani Planum captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.
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This image shows part of the northeastern flank of Ascraeus Mons, along the trend that joins the three large Tharsis volcanoes. The image has a myriad of collapse features from circular to linear outlines. The majority of the collapse features don't interact with the surface lava flows, indicating that the collapse features were formed after the main emplacement of lava flows from the summit and near summit vents. The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels c
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Volcanic Vent
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Located in eastern Arabia is an unnamed crater, 120 kilometers (75 miles) across. The floor of this crater contains a large exposure of rocky material, a field of dark sand dunes, and numerous patches of what is probably fine-grain sand. The shape of the dunes indicate that prevailing winds have come from different directions over the years. The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 71,000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has image
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Tinto Vallis.
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Eroding Material over Flows in Echus Chasma
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In this image, NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft spies what looks like a deep water fish yelling. Orbit Number 52146 Latitude 31.751 Longitude 306.831 Instrument VIS Captured 2013-09-15 16 11
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Today's VIS image shows a section of Morava Valles. Morava Valles is located in Margaritifer Terra. Orbit Number 79601 Latitude -12.1454 Longitude 336.946 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-11-24 15 53
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Eumenides Dorsum is a large linear rise located in southern Amazonis Planitia. Erosion by wind action is prevalent in this region. The horseshoe shaped depressions, called blowouts, indicate the major wind direction in this region is from lower left to upper right. Orbit Number 72856 Latitude 1.32798 Longitude 203.353 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-05-18 04 06
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Her Desher Vallis
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Huge fractures cutting through the surface of Terra Sirenum are called Memnonia Fossae. The term fossa(e) means linear depression. This image is from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey.
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Landslide
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This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey shows part of an unnamed channel in Terra Cimmeria.
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NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey captured this image of a channel entering Eberswalde Crater and depositing a fan-shaped delta on the crater floor.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Her Desher Vallis, located in Noachis Terra.
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This image shows a collapse feature on the southeastern flank of the volcano. The circular/scalloped margin of the collapse is typical for ceiling collapse into a lava tube. However, the potential lava tube is perpendicular to the surface flows. The linear nature and relationship to the surface flows likely indicate that a preexisting tectonic graben occurred here and hosted lava flows that may have become lava tube flows. So in this case, the collapse feature formed by a combination of tectonic and volcanic processes. The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to th
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Gullies
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This VIS image shows part of Chincoteague Crater. Chincoteague Crater is located in Utopia Planitia. The crater is 37km (23miles) across. Orbit Number 78822 Latitude 40.7151 Longitude 123.929 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-09-21 12 42
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The channel in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is part of Granicus Valles.
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Dunes in Terra Cimmeria
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Numerous unnamed channels seen in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the eastern margin of Tempe Terra.
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Today's VIS image shows a section of Cerberus Fossae. Located southeast of the Elysium Planitia volcanic complex, the linear graben near the top of the image was created by tectonic forces related to the volcanic activity. The graben are sources of both channels and significant volcanic flows. As seen in this image, the graben cuts across features such as hills, indicating the relative youth of the tectonic activity. Graben form where extensional tectonic forces allows blocks of material to subside between paired faults. Orbit Number 79944 Latitude 9.53204 Longitude 158.706 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-12-22 21 50
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This VIS image shows many of the channel segments of Granicus Valles. Granicus Valles is a complex channel system located west of Elysium Mons. The system is approximately 750km long. It is likely that both water and lava played a part in creation of the feature. Orbit Number 89541 Latitude 27.8744 Longitude 132.073 Instrument VIS Captured 2022-02-20 02 50
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Isidis Planitia Central Peak
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Multiple channels dissect the rim of Bakhuysen Crater in Noachis Terra in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.
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Small channels dissect the northwestern rim of Gale Crater in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey.
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Lava channels east of Olympus Mons as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.
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Dark streaks mark the inner rim of this unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.
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Crater Modification
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The ridge in the southern end of this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is part of an eroded crater rim, one of many such smaller impact craters that have collected on Schiaparelli's floor since it formed.
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Today's VIS image shows an unnamed channel system in northern Arabia Terra. Orbit Number 88161 Latitude 30.6021 Longitude 344.658 Instrument VIS Captured 2021-10-29 11 43
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Dark slope streaks mark the side of the central peak on the floor of Cobres Crater in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.
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These lava flows are located to the northeast of Tharsis Tholus
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Acheron Fossae is a dissected region of rugged terrain located north of Olympus Mons. Numerous channels are visible in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. This crater has a pit in the center of the floor of the crater.
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The channels in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are draining the northeastern margin of Tempe Terra.
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Eroded, or 'etched' terrain dominates the field of view of this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, acquired over eastern Terra Meridiani. At the bottom of many craters and in other areas, dunes are present.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of Daedalia Planum.
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This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows some of the effects that wind action has on the surface of Mars. This image is located near Zephyria Planum. Winds in the region have eroded and etched the surface materials.
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Landslide
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Montevallo Crater
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A small landslide deposit of an unnamed crater is visible in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.
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Today's VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater in Aonia Terra. The rim of this crater contains many deep gullies. At the top left of the image a channel system is visible on the floor of the crater. Orbit Number 74987 Latitude -44.518 Longitude 268.512 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-11-09 16 39
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This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows two landslide deposits located on the southern side of Columbus Crater in Terra Sirenum.
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Central Peak Crater
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The channels in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the northern margin of Terra Sabaea.
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Today's VIS image shows several windstreaks on lava plains southwest of Arsia Mons. The extensive lava flow field is called Daedalia Planum. Orbit Number 80603 Latitude -14.064 Longitude 230.438 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-02-15 03 58
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. Tempe Fossae. Today's VIS image is shows a small portion of Tempe Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. This image is located in a region of Tempe Terra that is complexly fractured, with multiple crossing directions. The variety in trends indicates several different periods of tectonic activity. The complete fossae system in almost 2000 km (1242 miles) long. Orbit Number 94465 Latitude 31.588 Longitude 276.769 Instrument VIS Captured 2023-04-01 13 25
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This image captured by shows NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey the northern wall of Ganges Chasma. Dunes and a landslide deposit of visible at the bottom of the image.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows some of the lava flows located east of the large Tharsis volcanoes.
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The northern margin of Terra Sabaea has numerous channels. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of an unnamed channel on the margin of Terra Sabaea.
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Today's VIS image shows part of Nili Patera. Nili Patera is the northern caldera in the immense volcanic complex of Syrtis Major Planum. The dunes are moving westward across the top of these ancient volcanic flows. Orbit Number 90030 Latitude 8.95316 Longitude 67.1774 Instrument VIS Captured 2022-04-01 09 05
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Dark streaks mark the inner rim of this unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea. 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 avalanches, or the surface is darkening by fluid or other surface staining. Orbit Number 87336 Latitude 14.6769 Longitude 27.535 Instrument VIS Captured 2021-08-22 13 18
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a graben that is part of Cerberus Fossae.
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The linear depressions in this VIS image are part of Sirenum Fossae. These depressions are called graben, which form by the down drop of material between two parallel faults. The faults are caused by tectonic stresses in the region. The Sirenum Fossae graben are 2735km (1700 miles) long. Orbit Number 82052 Latitude -37.4717 Longitude 191.302 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-06-13 11 16
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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. Orbit Number 81539 Latitude -20.6524 Longitude 228.51 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-05-02 05 36
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This VIS image is located on the northern side of Acheron Fossae. Acheron Fossae is a complex tectonic region north of Olympus Mons. In this region of Acheron Fossae, channels drain down towards the plains. Orbit Number 77733 Latitude 39.5698 Longitude 223.721 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-06-23 20 29
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Dust slides occur within the larger craters in this image
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Hebrus Valles. The flow of liquid (water or lava) is from the bottom of the image into the circular feature, which was likely filled by the material from the channel.
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. Hephaestus Fossae. This VIS image shows part of Hephaestus Fossae. Hephaestus Fossae is a complex channel system in Utopia Planitia near Elysium Mons. It has been proposed that the channel formed by the release of melted subsurface ice during the impact event that created the crater just off the left side of the image - only the ejecta is seen in this image. The crater is fairly young, as there is only minimal modification of the crater floor. While it appears that the crater sits of top of the channel, the creation of the crater may have also created the channel. The impact event would have caused subsurface heating, melting any subsurface ice in the region which would have created surface flow to form the channel. Additionally, the nearby Elysium volcanic center created subsurface heating that may have played a part in creating both Hephaestus Fossae and Hebrus Valles to the north. Orbit Number 94645 Latitude 17.6141 Longitude 126.055 Instrument VIS Captured 2023-04-16 09 02
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This VIS image shows part of Aronatum Chaos. Aromatum Chaos is a depression about 90 km (56 mi) long by 30 km (20 mi) wide. At it's deepest Aronatum Chaos is 3,500 meters (11,500 ft) below the Xanthe Terra. On average, however, Aromatum is about 1,500 m (4,900 ft) deep. Mars scientists interpret chaos regions as places where groundwater has broken out and undermined the surface, loosening the rocky material and washing it away. Aronatum Chaos is at the head of Ravi Vallis, a 200 kilometers (125 miles) long channel located in Xanthe Terra. Orbit Number 78828 Latitude -1.00608 Longitude 316.825 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-09-22 00 20
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Dust Devil Tracks
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This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small unnamed channel on the eastern margin of Arabia Terra.
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The lava flows in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located SE of Adams Crater.
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This region of chaos, as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, is located southeast of Tempe Terra.
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This unnamed channel drains the highland region near Pulawy Crater as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.
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At the bottom of this VIS image of Daedalia Planum is the uppermost rim of an impact crater. The unnamed crater has been almost completely filled by lava flows originating from Arsia Mons. Orbit Number 71346 Latitude -21.6885 Longitude 229.536 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-01-13 18 33
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Lineations (fissures, or cracks in the ground) can be seen in this image of Acidalia Planitia from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft and create what is referred to as 'patterned ground' or 'polygonal terrain.'
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This VIS image is located in Melas Chasma. The linear and arcuate features at the top of the image are on the surface of a large landslide. This region of Melas Chasma is covered by several very large landslide deposits. Melas Chasma is part of the largest canyon system on Mars, Valles Marineris. At only 563 km long (349 miles) Melas is not the longest canyon, but it is the widest. Located in the center of Valles Marineris, it has depths up to 9,000 meters (30,000 feet) from the surrounding plains. In addition to landslide deposits, there are layered materials and sand dunes. There is evidence of both water and wind action as modes of formation for many of the interior deposits. Orbit Number 80264 Latitude -11.2236 Longitude 289.776 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-01-18 06 05
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Herschel Dunes
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Arsia Mons by Visible Light
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a section of Samara Valles north of yesterday's image.
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Linear Ridges
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At the top left corner of today's VIS image is the delta deposit located on the floor of Eberswalde Crater. Deltas are formed when sediment laden rivers slow down - either due to a flattening of topography, or entering a standing body of water. The reduction in velocity causes the sediments to be deposited. The main channel often diverges into numerous smaller channel that spread apart to form the typical fan shape of a delta. The Eberswalde Crater delta is one of the best preserved on Mars. Orbit Number 90982 Latitude -24.1271 Longitude 326.604 Instrument VIS Captured 2022-06-18 18 13
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Located on the rim of Chia Crater, this smaller crater contains a multitude of dark slope streaks. These features are assumed to represent down slope movements of material, either a process that removes a dusty top later to reveal dark rocky material below, or one that darkens part of the slope due to surface or near surface flows of a briny volatile. Orbit Number 72229 Latitude 0.81902 Longitude 300.014 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-03-27 12 29
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he lava flows in this VIS image originate at Arsia Mons. Arsia Mons in the southermost of the three large Tharsis volcanoes. Orbit Number 72406 Latitude -19.4934 Longitude 234.097 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-04-11 02 19
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Windstreaks
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows layering in the plains that comprise Utopia Planitia.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the floor of Hale Crater. The mountains in the image are part of the elongated central peak of the crater.