The eastern scarp of the Martian volcano Olympus Mons is awash in ancient lava flows, some older than 200 million years old.

Spanning several kilometers in length and hundreds of meters in width, the eastern scarp marks a boundary between smooth lowland plains (bottom) and the slope of Olympus Mons. The scarp can reach up to almost four miles (six kilometers) above the Martian surface at places.

The scarp features several channel-like formations that appear to form a broad network of intersecting and anastomising – or branching out and crossing one another – channels that run for several kilometers and can be up to 131 feet (40 meters) deep.

Several of the incisions indicate tectonic control, with others showing streamlined islands and terraced walls that hint at outflow activity. Studies have determined that the region was geologically active as recent as 30 million years ago.

The European Space Agency used its High Resolution Stereo Camera to build this perspective of Olympus Mons’ eastern scarp.

-- SPACE.com Staff

Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)