Martian Crater Topography

Images of various Martian craters showing intricate landscapes, including gullies, landslides, and channel formations as captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey.

This unnamed crater near Timoshenko Crater has been breached by a channel

Many gullies dissect the inner rim of this unnamed crater in Noachis Terra, as shown in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Terra Cimmeria Crater Landslide

Crater Delta

The top of the Cerulli Crater rim is located in the center of the VIS image. The top half of the image is the interior rim, with numerous channels dissecting it and flowing down onto the crater floor. The lower half of the image is the outer crater rim. Orbit Number 78314 Latitude 31.1413 Longitude 22.0425 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-08-10 16 41

Channels are a common feature on the margin of Terra Cimmeria where the elevation changes from highland to northern lowlands in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey.

In regions of poorly cemented surface materials it is possible to create large features due to just the action of the wind. The equatorial region between Olympus Mons and Apollinaris Mons is dominated by wind etched regions. This region east of Apollinaris Mons contains just such a terrain. The direction of the wind aligns with the ridges and valleys. The dominant wind direction in this region is southeast to northwest; however, other wind directions can occur within a localized region.The top of this VIS image follows the regional trend, with a smaller central surface indicating winds perpendicular to the prevailing direction. Orbit Number 72333 Latitude -10.2083 Longitude 179.736 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-04-05 02 02

This unnamed crater near Timoshenko Crater has been breached by a channel

Windstreak

Moving eastward from the previous image, we continue to see the northern floor and rim of Gale Crater and the northern part of Mt. Sharp. This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a weathered region of the lower elevations of Mt. Sharp.

Marikh Vallis is the name given to the channels seen in this image of Noachis Terra as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Rim Channels

$This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows several linear depressions that cross an unnamed crater. The depressions are tectonic fractures that are hundreds of km long.$

This VIS image shows a small section of Indus Vallis. Indus Vallis is located in northern Terra Sabaea. Orbit Number 77727 Latitude 18.7218 Longitude 40.0134 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-06-23 08 30

Small channels dissect this region near Nectaris Fossae

Today's VIS image shows some of the linear depressions that comprise Nili Fossae. Nili Fossae is the name of a collection of curved faults and down-dropped blocks of crust between the faults. The fossae, or graben, lie northeast of the large volcano Syrtis Major and northwest of the ancient impact basin Isidis Planitia. The troughs, which can be almost 500 meters (1,600 feet) deep , make concentric curves that follow the outline of Isidis Planitia. The graben likely formed as the crust sagged under the weight of lava flows filling the Isidis Planitia impact basin. Orbit Number 88158 Latitude 20.507 Longitude 72.6076 Instrument VIS Captured 2021-10-29 05 43

Slope Streaks

This small unnamed channel is located in southern Tyrrhena Terra as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

The channels in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are dissecting a slope near Huygens Crater.

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the region just northwest of yesterday's image of Gale Crater. This region is dissected by small channels.

The dunes in this image are located on the floor of an unnamed crater in Tyrrhena Terra as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

This image shows part of the southern flank of Pavonis Mons. Several faults run from the left to the right side of the image. Lava flows, and the lava collapse features at the bottom of the image are aligned with the down hill direction (in this case from the top of the image to the bottom). Near the top of the image there are collapse features that run along the faults. The fault may have been been a location for lava tube development. Pavonis Mons is one of the three aligned Tharsis Volcanoes. The four Tharsis volcanoes are Ascreaus Mons, Pavonis Mons, Arsia Mons, and Olympus Mars. All four are shield type volcanoes. Shield volcanoes are formed by lava flows originating near or at the summit, building up layers upon layers of lava. The Hawaiian islands on Earth are shield volcanoes. The three aligned volcanoes are located along a topographic rise in the Tharsis region. Along this trend there are increased tectonic features and additional lava flows. Pavonis Mons is the smallest of th

Padus Vallis

These dust avalanches occur in a crater within Iani Chaos

The channel in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft is part of Auqakuh Vallis, which is located in northern Terra Sabaea.

This VIS image is located in Terra Sabaea. The ridge near the right side of the image contains dark slope streaks. These features are thought to form by downslope movement of material which either reveals the darker rock beneath the dust coating, or creates the darker surface by flow of a volatile just beneath the dust coating. Orbit Number 72662 Latitude 2.93981 Longitude 42.3759 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-05-02 04 33

Landslide

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Granicus Valles.

Today's VIS image is located on Lucus Planum. The surface in this image has been eroded by the wind to form features called yardangs. Yardangs form in a poorly cemented material where the wind cuts linear valleys, removing some of the material and leaving parallel ridges behind. The direction of the ridge/valley is aligned with the wind direction. The dominant wind direction in this region is along a northeast/southwest trend; however, other wind directions can occur within a localized region. There is a circular feature in the lower left side of the image. This is likely the remains of a crater. Meteor impacts melt the surface and subsurface, creating a harder material then the surrounding surfaces. The remnant of the crater are still visible due to being a more resistant material. Orbit Number 81740 Latitude -1.61604 Longitude 187.227 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-05-18 18 55

NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft captured numerous dark slope streaks in this small unnamed crater in Zephyria Planum.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of Daedalia Planum.

This view captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft looks like a dinosaur head at the top of the image. Orbit Number 65488 Latitude 4.92808 Longitude 126.933 Instrument VIS Captured 2016-09-18 03 24

Like the previous image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, this one shows one of the many unnamed channels on the northern margin of Arabia Terra.

The channels in this image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the western flank of Alba Mons.

Linear Ridges

This small field of dark dunes is located on the floor of Bamburg Crater

The linear features in the image are tectonic graben. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. The graben visible in this THEMIS image trend east/west. Because the faults defining the graben are formed perpendicular to the direction of the applied stress, we know that extensional forces were pulling the crust apart in the north/south direction. These unnamed graben are located on the eastern margin of Orcus Patera. Orbit Number 95005 Latitude 13.7781 Longitude 180.931 Instrument VIS Captured 2023-05-16 00 25

The windstreaks in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located in Terra Sabaea.

This VIS image shows a section of Shalbatana Vallis. Located in Xanthe Terra, Shalbatana Vallis is one of many channels that empty into Chryse Planitia. Shalbatana Vallis is an outflow channel carved by massive floods from escaping groundwater whose source lies far to the south of this image. The vallis is over 1300 km long (807 miles). Orbit Number 79040 Latitude 8.51397 Longitude 319.159 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-10-09 11 21

Not Quite Round

This fan-shaped delta deposit is located in Holden Crater

A sand dune field is located on the floor of this unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

The floor of Millochau Crater has been filled by material that is now being eroded away

The eastern end of Valles Marineris opens into huge low lying channels filled with the mound and valley terrain called chaos. This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey shows part of Eos Chaos.

This VIS image shows the interior of an unnamed crater in northern Arabia Terra. There is a large mound of material covering part of the crater floor. It appears that part of the mound is layered. It is unknown how and when the mound formed. Orbit Number 80112 Latitude 33.8048 Longitude 348.643 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-01-05 17 57

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Naktong Vallis in Terra Sabaea.

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a landslide deposit within a complex crater (note the ejecta to the top and bottom of the image). There is a smaller complex crater on the ejecta to the north of the larger crater.

Landslide

This image shows part of Shalbatana Vallis, with steep cliffsides and large pit in the channel floor. Many small channels appear to end at the pit, or pass to its north

These lava flows and collapse features are part of Ascraeus Mons

This VIS image shows a section of Granicus Valles. Granicus Valles is one of several channel systems the originate near Elysium Mons. Orbit Number 69042 Latitude 28.5329 Longitude 130.626 Instrument VIS Captured 2017-07-07 23 05

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the same young crater from earlier this week. In this image we can see how the thin radial ejecta has lapped up and over the ridge at the bottom of the image.

This landslide occurs in an unnamed crater

Dark streaks mark the slope of this crater rim south of Tikhonravov Crater in this image captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey.

Today's image shows the channel floor of Mawrth Vallis. Of all the channels carved by flowing water on Mars, one of the more unusual is Mawrth Vallis, whose name comes from the Welsh word for Mars. Mawrth Vallis winds through northwest Arabia Terra for some 640 kilometers (400 miles) before emptying into Acidalia Planitia on the edge of the vast northern lowlands. Unlike many outflow channels that start in regions of chaotic terrain, Mawrth Vallis just appears and then grows deeper as it heads downstream, holding a width of approximately 15 km (9 mi) until it widens near its mouth at Chryse Planitia. And the floor of the channel is a much more complex surface than most channels, with layers of different materials and a decidedly non-waterworn appearance. Today's image is located within an almost 90 degree bend in the channel. Orbit Number 87662 Latitude 22.708 Longitude 341.608 Instrument VIS Captured 2021-09-18 09 34

Channels

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of Naktong Vallis, located in Terra Sabaea.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a location within Semeykin Crater, which is in the Martian northern hemisphere.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of two unnamed craters in Terra Sabaea.

The hills (chaos) in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located between Stege Crater, just outside of the image to the northeast, and Maja Valles (left side of image).

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of the floor of Antoniadi Crater. The faint, dark marks may be dust devil tracks.

The lava flows in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are part of the extensive lava plains of Daedalia Planum.

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the margin between materials being sculpted by the wind into long, narrow hills and a surface not visibly affected by the wind.

Final Apollinaris

Crater Rim Channels. Numerous channels dissect the rim of this unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. Two small delta deposits are visible on the right side of the image. The formation of deltas indicates that this crater contained a lake. Orbit Number 92072 Latitude -23.5195 Longitude 28.4712 Instrument VIS Captured 2022-09-16 11 30 https //photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25743

The Naming of Things: Tartarus Montes

Daedalia Planum. Today's VIS image shows a small portion of the immense lava flows that originated from Arsia Mons. Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the three large aligned volcanoes in the Tharsis region. Arsia Mons' last eruption was 10s of million years ago. The different surface textures are created by differences in the lava viscosity and cooling rates. The lobate margins of each flow can be traced back to the start of each flow or to the point where they are covered by younger flows. Flows in Daedalia Planum can be as long as 180 km (111 miles). For comparison the longest Hawaiian lava flow is only 51 km (˜31 miles) long. The total area of Daedalia Planum is 2.9 million square km - more than four times the size of Texas. Windstreaks in this image show unidirectional winds from the upper right corner towards the lower left corner. Orbit Number 93001 Latitude -12.3262 Longitude 228.783 Instrument VIS Captured 2022-12-01 23 18 https //photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25810

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a portion of an unnamed channel located on the northern margin of Arabia Terra.

This image shows slope streaks on a small hill. The hill is near an unnamed crater at the south end of Phlegra Montes

Today's VIS image shows several small channels. These channels are along the break in topography, that leads down into Argyre Planitia. Argyre Planitia and Hellas Planitia are deep basins in the southern hemisphere. Orbit Number 74586 Latitude -34.8073 Longitude 318.916 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-10-07 16 02

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a small portion of the lava flows that make up Daedalia Planum. These flows originate at Arsia Mons.

Bahram Vallis crosses this VIS image. Bharam Vallis drains from the the higher elevations of Lunae Planum into the Chryse Planitia basin. At the base of several of the scalloped channel wall sections deposits of material can be seen. Orbit Number 77643 Latitude 20.8706 Longitude 303.262 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-06-16 10 30

Today's VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater in northern Arabia Terra. Numerous small channels surround the crater and some dissect the crater rim. This crater is unusual due to the presence of the large block of material that rises above the crater floor in the upper half of the image. Orbit Number 89433 Latitude 35.3092 Longitude 6.82587 Instrument VIS Captured 2022-02-11 05 27

Ladon Valles. Today's VIS image show a section of Ladon Vallis. The channel is 278km long (173 miles). Ladon Vallis is located in Noachis Terrra and flows northward to Margaritifer Terra. Orbit Number 91481 Latitude -23.1934 Longitude 330.565 Instrument VIS Captured 2022-07-29 20 19

Erosion

This image shows lava flows from Alba Mons as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

The northern margins of Arabia Terra and Terra Sabaea contain many unnamed channels. This channel is located in Terra Sabaea. The channel flow is toward the top of the image. This channel has been covered by craters at the top of the image, showing that the channel flow occurred prior to the impacts that created the craters. Orbit Number 71240 Latitude 37.1087 Longitude 40.9077 Instrument VIS Captured 2018-01-05 01 18

Taken by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, this image shows a fan shaped deposit located on the floor of Holden Crater.

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the southwest rim of Gale Crater, including a small, younger crater.

Triangular shaped deposits at cliff edges are termed alluvial fans. Alluvial fans typically form in arid regions were water flow is limited, so deposits of material are not washed away as seen by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

Arsia Mons Lava

The dark dunes in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located on the floor of Escalante Crater.

$What appears to be a channel in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is actually one of the fractures that make up Nili Fossae.$

This image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows Gale crater, which is east of the landing site. It shows the northern extent of the dunes, and the layers in Mt. Sharp are visible at the bottom of the image.

The surface of the ejecta surrounding this crater is scored with fine radial grooves. The grooves were formed during the impact event

At the top of today's VIS image is a delta deposit that was created by the flow from the rim channel into the crater. Deltas form when sediments settle out due to a decrease in speed of a river system. Deltas often form where large rivers flow into the ocean, like the Mississippi and Nile deltas. This can also occur where rivers flow into large lakes, such as the Great Salt Lake and Lake St. Clair river deltas. It is believed that the Jezero Crater delta formed this way. The delta in Jezero Crater has been chosen as the location for the Mars 2020 mission. Orbit Number 77838 Latitude 18.1853 Longitude 77.4252 Instrument VIS Captured 2019-07-02 11 53

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a young crater. Dark radial spokes are created by the explosive blast of an impact event. With time, only thick ejecta near the rim of the crater will be visible, and dark spokes will disappear.

In some regions of Mars the relative ages of different materials can be determined. In this image, captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey, the younger lava flows of Daedalia Planum are on top of the older Terra Sirenum materials.

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is of an unnamed channel located on the northern margin of Terra Cimmeria.

The Cerberus feature, imaged here by NASA's Mars Odyssey, is a dark region at the southeastern edge of the huge Elysium Mons volcanic complex that was visible to early astronomers because it was a distinctive dark spot on a large bright region of Mars.

Upside Down Craters

Windstreak

Crater Dunes

The channel in this image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is a portion of Hrad Vallis.

Downhill Run

Unique Texture

Odd Craters

Dynamic Mars

Today's VIS image shows a portion of Shalbatana Vallis. Located in Xanthe Terra, Shalbatana Vallis is an outflow channel carved by massive floods of escaping groundwater whose source lies far to the south of this image. Shalbatana Vallis is over 1300 km long (808 miles). This channel, and all others in this region, drain into Chryse Planitia. Orbit Number 80787 Latitude 8.81946 Longitude 319.078 Instrument VIS Captured 2020-03-01 07 42

Exhumed Crater

The small channel at the top of this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located on the rim of an unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea.

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