ESA's Mars Express
captured breathtaking images of the Deuteronilus Mensae region on Mars. This one was taken on March 14, 2005
during orbit number 1483.
It shows the Deuteronilus Mensae region, bordering the southern highlands and the
northern lowlands. Situated at approximately 39° North and 23° East, Deuteronilus Mensae are primarily
characterised by glacial features. Sunlight
is coming from the south-west (bottom left).
The scene is dominated by a depression approximately 2,000 meters in depth and 110 kilometers
in diameter, north to south. Visible in the center of the first image, the interior of
the depression is characterised by dark material,
differing from the light-toned surrounding plains.
Deeply incised valleys of a depth ranging from 800 to 1,200 meters are visible in the northern part of the scene. These valleys may have originated
due to intense flooding by melted water ice. The water then froze quickly,
flowing down the slopes of the depression like a glacier. Aeolian sediments
(eroded by the action of wind) traced the flow pattern on the surface.
The scene of Deuteronilus Mensae depicts
different stages of highland degradation. Numerous flow patterns in wide
valleys and along ridges and scarps indicate movement of debris mixed with ice
towards the surrounding areas.
From these structures, scientists assume that the mixture of
debris and ice resembles rock glaciers in cold areas on Earth. Whether ice
could be still present in the porous spaces in Martian features and how active
these landforms may be today is still a subject of discussion.
--ESA and SPACE.com
Staff
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
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