Mantled Terrain in the Southern Mid-Latitudes
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Mantled Terrain in the Southern Mid-Latitudes
ESP_037474_1380  Science Theme: Glacial/Periglacial Processes
The mid-latitudes of Mars (approximately 30 to 60 degrees, north and south) are covered in ice-rich mantling deposits in varying states of degradation.

This mantle is thought to be deposited as snow during periods when the angle of the tilt of Mars’ rotational axis—called obliquity—is much higher, which last happened around 10 million years ago.

This HiRISE image shows terrain typical of these mantling deposits in the Southern Hemisphere, east of Reull Vallis. The pitted texture suggests that ice is sublimating out from the deposits as the region is warmed under current lower obliquity conditions.

Written by: Dan Berman (audio: Tre Gibbs)  (27 August 2014)
 
Acquisition date
25 July 2014

Local Mars time
15:56

Latitude (centered)
-41.682°

Longitude (East)
115.846°

Spacecraft altitude
251.1 km (156.1 miles)

Original image scale range
25.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~76 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
7.2°

Phase angle
65.6°

Solar incidence angle
71°, with the Sun about 19° above the horizon

Solar longitude
167.2°, Northern Summer

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  32.3°
JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (824MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (461MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (332MB)
non-map           (556MB)

IRB color
map projected  (137MB)
non-map           (426MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (207MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (198MB)

RGB color
non map           (429MB)
BONUS
4K (TIFF)
8K (TIFF)
10K (TIFF)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

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.