False-colour image of the topography of the Hellas crater rim
False-colour image of the topography of the Hellas crater rim
Digital terrain models of the Martian surface with a resolution down to 10 metres per pixel can be derived from data acquired by the nadir channel, which is directed vertically onto the Martian surface, and the stereo channels of the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on Mars Express. In this colour-coded image, the absolute elevations above a reference level, the aeroid (derived from Ares, the Greek name for Mars), are depicted. These elevation values can be read based on the colour key at the top right of the image, clearly showing extreme altitude differences in this region of more than six kilometres, measured from the highest point in the centre of the left section of the image to the lowest point in the bottom left section of the image. The colour coding clearly shows the terraced nature of the western rim of the Hellas basin.
