The Tempe Terra region, shaped by tectonic forces
The Tempe Terra region, shaped by tectonic forces
Located to the northeast of the large volcanic region Tharsis on Mars, Tempe Terra is an area that has been strongly influenced by tectonic forces. During the uplifting and stressing of the lithosphere by volcanic and plutonic rocks over billions of years, enormous tensile stresses in the Martian crust transformed large regions into what are referred to as ‘horst and graben’ landscapes. The surface is characterised by numerous tectonic stress structures, shield volcanoes, solidified lava flows and glacial structures. The fracture structures (small rectangle), shown here in images acquired by the High Resolution Stereo Camera in September 2019, during orbit 19,913, show the southwestern foothills of the Tempe Fossae grabens. These are over 1000 kilometres long and they can be compared to that of the Kenya Rift on Earth, part of the East African Rift.
