Dark Deposits around a Volcanic Fissure Adjacent to Tharsis Tholus
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Dark Deposits around a Volcanic Fissure Adjacent to Tharsis Tholus
ESP_030440_1945  Science Theme: Volcanic Processes
There have been a number of claims in recent years that there are small dark volcanic ash deposits on Mars, suggesting very recent volcanic eruptions. However, most of these claims have not stood up to scrutiny by HiRISE.

Dark wind blown sand, not volcanic ash, explains most examples of diffuse dark patches on Mars. This area is especially intriguing because the wind blown material in the region has a light, not dark, tone. Furthermore, there are fresh looking lava flows adjacent to the possible vent, lending additional weight to the idea of recent volcanism here.

The difference in the way small craters resist erosion within this dark deposit is also suggestive of coarser fallout from a lava fountain. Overall, this is a top contender for a recent volcanic vent on Mars.

Written by: Lazslo Kestay (narration: Tre Gibbs)  (20 February 2013)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_030862_1945.
 
Acquisition date
23 January 2013

Local Mars time
15:06

Latitude (centered)
14.069°

Longitude (East)
268.096°

Spacecraft altitude
273.2 km (169.8 miles)

Original image scale range
55.3 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~166 cm across are resolved

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50 cm/pixel and North is up

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Equirectangular

Emission angle
9.1°

Phase angle
51.8°

Solar incidence angle
59°, with the Sun about 31° above the horizon

Solar longitude
250.4°, Northern Autumn

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North azimuth:  96°
Sub-solar azimuth:  326.7°
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POSTSCRIPT
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. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.