Landscape features in the western Acheron Fossae region
Landscape features in the western Acheron Fossae region
The consequences of various geological processes can be studied in the western part of the Acheron Fossae region – an area strongly influenced by volcanism and the associated tectonic processes. Between 3.7 and 3.9 billion years ago, the megavolcano Olympus Mons began to grow (left, outside the image). The stretching of the Martian crust created 'horst and graben' rift valleys. Later, these grabens were filled with debris and rubble transported by rock glaciers (known as lineated valley fill; LVF). The original landscape has since been almost entirely eroded. Only a few rounded hills (knobby terrain) remain. Around this terrain, small, narrow, winding gullies (meandering channels) mark the surface, which then merges into the northern lowlands. In the south, an extensive smooth surface can be seen – likely deposits of material that broke off Olympus Mons at a height of several kilometres.
