Sunday, March 3, 2013

Fault in Ius Chasma


This image in Ius Chasma, a portion of the massive canyon system Vallis Marineris, draws our attention because a fault previously imaged by the Mars Orbiter Camera.

A valley cuts also cuts across the ridge. Is this the result of some tectonic process? A study in 2012 suggested that Mars possesses tectonic plates, but if so, how these processes work is still an area of study.

This is a stereo pair with ESP_017939_1720.

Photo credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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