HiRISE | The Gemstone Floor of Noctis Labyrinthus (ESP_023359

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

The Gemstone Floor of Noctis Labyrinthus
ESP_023359_1710 Science Theme: Sedimentary/Layering Processes

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The smooth light-toned deposits on the floor of Noctis Labyrinthus, a series of depressions at the westernmost end of Valles Marineris, may contain a form of hydrated silica, perhaps opal, which is a gemstone.

The opal could have formed by chemical weathering of basaltic lava flows or volcanic ash in the presence of water. Also visible in the left side of the enhanced-color subimage are sand dunes with two colors, perhaps due to dark sand covered in places by bright reddish dust, and an impact crater with dark ejecta. (The subimage width is 1.2 kilometers.)

Written by: Alfred McEwen (31 August 2011)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_023003_1710.

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Acquisition date:	21 July 2011	Local Mars time:	2:01 PM
Latitude (centered):	-9.036 degrees	Longitude (East):	264.112 degrees
Range to target site:	280.8 km (175.5 miles)	Original image scale range:	28.1 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~84 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale:	25 cm/pixel and North is up	Map projection:	EQUIRECTANGULAR
Emission angle:	23.8 degrees	Phase angle:	53.8 degrees
Solar incidence angle:	30 degrees, with the Sun about 60 degrees above the horizon	Solar longitude:	331.8 degrees, Northern Winter
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North azimuth:	96 degrees	Sub-solar azimuth:	357.1 degrees
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North azimuth:	270 degrees	Sub solar azimuth:	172.4 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.