Layers and Fractures in Ophir Chasma
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Layers and Fractures in Ophir Chasma
ESP_042360_1755  Science Theme: Tectonic Processes
Ophir Chasma forms the northern portion of Valles Marineris, and this image features a small part of its wall and floor.

The wall rock shows many sedimentary layers and the floor is covered with wind-blown ridges, which are intermediate in size between sand ripples and sand dunes. Rocks protruding on the floor could be volcanic intrusions of once-molten magma that have pushed aside the surrounding sedimentary layers and “froze” in place.

Images like this can help geologists study the formation mechanisms of large tectonic systems like Valles Marineris.

(The word “tectonics” does not mean the same thing as “plate tectonics.” Tectonics simply refers to large stresses and strains in a planet’s crust. Plate tectonics is the main type of tectonics that Earth has; Mars does not have plate tectonics.)

Written by: Kirby Runyon (narration: Tre Gibbs)  (4 November 2015)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_043560_1755.
 
Acquisition date
10 August 2015

Local Mars time
14:33

Latitude (centered)
-4.604°

Longitude (East)
287.032°

Spacecraft altitude
269.1 km (167.2 miles)

Original image scale range
28.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~86 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
22.8°

Phase angle
62.0°

Solar incidence angle
41°, with the Sun about 49° above the horizon

Solar longitude
25.3°, Northern Spring

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  96°
Sub-solar azimuth:  28.9°
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non-map           (205MB)

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non-map           (199MB)

Merged IRB
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Merged RGB
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RGB color
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ANAGLYPHS
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Full resolution JP2 download
Anaglyph details page

BONUS
4K (TIFF)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
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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.