HiRISE | Viscous Flow in Protonilus Mensae (ESP_017024

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Viscous Flow in Protonilus Mensae
ESP_017024_2230 Science Theme: Glacial/Periglacial Processes

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This subimage highlights a feature that resembles a terrestrial glacier, indicating that material has viscously flowed at this location. It appears that water ice has collected at the head of the valley (at bottom), allowing glacier-like flow toward the top of the subimage.

At the top right of the subimage, the flow appears to have slowed down and stopped, forming ridges perpendicular to the flow direction. Similar features are observed on terrestrial glaciers, but Martian examples are not as bright as many on Earth. The Martian glaciers appear to be covered by dust and other debris, hiding the ice below. Such debris-rich flows on Earth are called "rock glaciers" and may be good analogs for the flow seen here.

Written by: Ken Herkenhoff (5 May 2010)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_017314_2230.

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Acquisition date:	15 March 2010	Local Mars time:	3:02 PM
Latitude (centered):	42.6 degrees	Longitude (East):	55.3 degrees
Range to target site:	303.0 km (189.4 miles)	Original image scale range:	30.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~91 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale:	25 cm/pixel and North is up	Map projection:	EQUIRECTANGULAR
Emission angle:	11.6 degrees	Phase angle:	31.3 degrees
Solar incidence angle:	43 degrees, with the Sun about 47 degrees above the horizon	Solar longitude:	64.1 degrees, Northern Spring
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North azimuth:	96 degrees	Sub-solar azimuth:	350.6 degrees
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North azimuth:	270 degrees	Sub solar azimuth:	167.2 degrees

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For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. The image data were processed using the U.S. Geological Survey’s ISIS3 software.