Table mountains in the south of Idaeus Fossae
Table mountains in the south of Idaeus Fossae
This perspective view shows table mountains (mesas) approximately one thousand metres high in the south of the Idaeus Fossae region. They are remnants of the surrounding Martian highlands, most of which have been eroded by high-energy water flows. Just a few kilometres further south lies the delta at the mouth of Kasei Valles – one of the largest drainage systems on Mars. In the early history of the planet, large quantities of water were carried with tremendous energy from the largest valley complex in the Martian highlands into the lowland plain Chryse Planitia. The image spans approximately 40 kilometres.