NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE Images: January 15, 2014

– Dunes on the Rim of the Hellas Impact Basin http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_034101_1385

Sand dunes like these in this image have been observed to creep slowly across the surface of Mars through the action of the wind.

– Recent Volcanism in Valles Marineris http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_034131_1670

The possibility of recent volcanism inside Valles Marineris was first proposed decades ago based on Viking orbiter images.

– Looking for Salts on Mars http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_034309_1485

In this observation, chlorides have a bright appearance and are covered by other dark materials.

– Fissure near Cerberus Fossae with Tectonic Morphologies http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_034716_1875

The linearity of the volcanic vent in this observation, along with evidence of lava flow from the vent, suggests control by combined volcano-tectonic processes.

All of the HiRISE images are archived here: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/

Information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is online at http://www.nasa.gov/mro. The mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, of Denver, is the prime contractor and built the spacecraft. HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., of Boulder, Colo., built the HiRISE instrument.