Colour plan view of Nili Fossae
Colour plan view of Nili Fossae
This vertical overhead view in true colour shows how the Nili Fossae region is heavily marked by wind action. Besides the typically ochre-coloured appearance of the Martian surface due to iron-rich mineral oxides, broad regions are covered with very dark material. It is thought that this is volcanic ash or dark volcanic rock eroded into sand and dust, carried by the wind to different locations and redeposited there. This is also indicated by the fact that this material exists in heightened concentrations in depressions and leeside locations protected from the wind.
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.