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.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
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.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
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/