Inside Sulci Gordii
Inside Sulci Gordii
Realistic perspective views of the surface of Mars can be generated from data acquired by the stereo and colour channels of the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, which are oriented at an oblique angle with respect to the planet's surface. This image offers a 'close-up' of the 'sulci' features that define Sulci Gordii. Sulci are roughly parallel sets of ridges and valleys likely formed through tectonic and erosion processes. A prominent fault line extends along the left side of the image, while smooth lava plains overlay parts of the sulci. Sulci Gordii is an aureole deposit resulting from the dramatic collapse of the flanks of Olympus Mons in its distant past. The image was created from data acquired by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on ESA's Mars Express spacecraft on 23 January 2013 (orbit 11,531), with a ground resolution of about 31 metres per pixel. Sulci Gordii lies at approximately 17 degrees north and 234 degrees east, about 200 kilometres east of Olympus Mons.
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.
