Landforms in and around Shalbatana Vallis in Xanthe Terra
Landforms in and around Shalbatana Vallis in Xanthe Terra
The 'main attraction' in this approximately 220 by 110 kilometre section of the Xanthe Terra highland region is the Shalbatana Vallis outflow channel, with its chaotic terrain partly covered in dark volcanic ash ('chaotic terrain and dark layer'). To the south (left) lies a crater approximately 15 kilometres across, whose ejecta blanket is typical of impacts into water- or ice-bearing subsurface material (labelled 'impact crater with ejecta blanket' in the image). Higher in the image is a 25-kilometre-wide ancient crater completely filled with solidified lava, leaving only sections of the rim visible ('buried impact crater'). To the north of this, hills and mesas can be seen ('hills and mesas'), remnants of the ancient highland. Further north (right-hand side of the image), wrinkle ridges are visible, formed as low-viscosity lava cooled and contracted.
