Image Context:
 Context image credit: NASA/Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Team[ Find on map: Javascript version ]
[ Find on map: CGI version ]
Pavonis Mons is the middle of the three large volcanoes on the Tharsis
bulge. This visible THEMIS image covers the edge of the volcano’s
caldera. Outside of the caldera, numerous lava flows and impact craters can
be seen. In addition, there are a few small features which may be cinder
cones. The best example is on the left hand side of the image, about two
thirds of the way down from the top.
There is an elevation difference of about 4.2 kilometers from the top of the
volcano to the caldera floor. This image shows evidence for repeated episodes
of mass wasting of the caldera wall, likely due to subsidence of the caldera
over time.
[Source: ASU THEMIS Science Team]
Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.
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 |
