Nadir channel image showing a section of the northern scarp of Ius Chasma
Nadir channel image showing a section of the northern scarp of Ius Chasma
The nadir channel, which points vertically down towards the planet’s surface, enabled High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) image data to be captured with a resolution of 13 metres per pixel as Mars Express flew over the northeast of Ius Chasma during orbit 2149. These enable small-scale geological structures to be identified; north is to the right in the image. The image covers an area of approximately 120 kilometres by 60 kilometres. The right half is occupied by the Martian highlands, which have numerous extension faults across them. Running vertically through the centre of the image is the scarp at the northern edge of Valles Marineris, which is more than eight kilometres high. The valley floor of Ius Chasma is visible in the left half of the image. A number of landslides have occurred and their debris fields overlap. The pattern of the landslides suggests that water played a role in their formation.
Copyright note:
As a joint undertaking by DLR, ESA and FU Berlin, the Mars Express HRSC images are published under a Creative Commons licence since December 2014: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. This licence will also apply to all HRSC images released to date.