The caldera wall of a Martian giant volcano
Click for original image.
Cool image time! The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, reduced, and enhanced to post here, was taken on June 8, 2023 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It shows the top half of the northwestern interior wall of the central caldera of Pavonis Mons, the center volcano in the string of three giant volcanos found in Mars’ equatorial regions.
The elevation change from the top to the bottom of this picture is about 7,000 feet, though this covers only half the distance down to the floor of the caldera. The picture was taken as part of a survey of this caldera wall.
Volcanic activity here is thought to have ended more than a billion years ago. Thus we are looking at relatively old terrain that has had many eons to be reshaped since the last eruption.
The rectangle in the inset on the overview map to the right marks the area covered by the picture above. The numerous streaks going down the slope suggest avalanches, though the general lack of debris piles at their base raise questions about their nature.
Being in the dry equatorial regions as well as a very high altitude, it is almost certain that there is no ice here, though even this certainty should be tempered with skepticism until we have solid data obtained on the surface itself.
What is certain beyond doubt is that this is another example of the dramatic landscape found in many places on Mars. A hike along the top of this caldera would be a very heady experience indeed.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Click for original image.
Cool image time! The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, reduced, and enhanced to post here, was taken on June 8, 2023 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It shows the top half of the northwestern interior wall of the central caldera of Pavonis Mons, the center volcano in the string of three giant volcanos found in Mars’ equatorial regions.
The elevation change from the top to the bottom of this picture is about 7,000 feet, though this covers only half the distance down to the floor of the caldera. The picture was taken as part of a survey of this caldera wall.
Volcanic activity here is thought to have ended more than a billion years ago. Thus we are looking at relatively old terrain that has had many eons to be reshaped since the last eruption.
The rectangle in the inset on the overview map to the right marks the area covered by the picture above. The numerous streaks going down the slope suggest avalanches, though the general lack of debris piles at their base raise questions about their nature.
Being in the dry equatorial regions as well as a very high altitude, it is almost certain that there is no ice here, though even this certainty should be tempered with skepticism until we have solid data obtained on the surface itself.
What is certain beyond doubt is that this is another example of the dramatic landscape found in many places on Mars. A hike along the top of this caldera would be a very heady experience indeed.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Nice one Bob! Thanks again. I always enjoy your cool images.
Is it possible the chunks that break off & fall down hill are made of solid carbon dioxide, and sublimate away (for some reason), leaving no trace? This would explain the lack of debris at the bottom.
David M. Cook: Yes. See these posts:
April 2020: Skiing dry ice boulders on Mars
https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/skiing-dry-ice-boulders-on-mars/
February 2021: Skiing dry ice boulders on Mars, captured in action!
https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/skiing-dry-ice-boulders-on-mars-captured-in-action/