View of the fracture system in the Utopia Planitia impact basin
View of the fracture system in the Utopia Planitia impact basin
This colour image was created from the nadir channel oriented perpendicular to the surface of Mars and the colour channels of the HRSC.
It shows a network of huge fractures in Utopia Planitia. New research results link the formation of these huge ‘polygons’ in this region to the previous existence of an ocean in the Martian Northern Lowlands.
Some of the graben show dark deposits stretching along their upper edges. It is conceivable that these are dark, fine-grained ash layers emerging. They are the source of the widespread black sand dunes on Mars.