Perspective view of the escarpment and lava plain
Perspective view of the escarpment and lava plain
A number of both pointed and flat-topped blocks or mesas can be seen emerging from the surrounding lava field. These blocks were either rotated or uplifted when the outer flanks of Olympus Mons collapsed to form the scarp. 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.
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.