NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: Geomorphic Gumbo

Image Context:


Context image credit: NASA/Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Team
[ Find on map: Javascript version ]

[ Find on map: CGI version ]

Just northeast of the small Tharsis volcano Biblis Patera lies a scene of surprising complexity. The upper left portion of the image shows the furrowed terrain of Gigas Sulci, likely produced in response to the evolution of Olympus Mons volcano. A narrow channel that probably contained flowing lava snakes through the center of the image before transitioning into a gaping chasm. The lower third of the image shows a jumble of textures, presumably produced from the emplacement and erosion of lava flows, but which are not easily classified.

[Source: ASU THEMIS Science Team]

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA’s Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University