Impact Craters as Windows to What Lies Beneath
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Impact Craters as Windows to What Lies Beneath
ESP_069897_1895  Science Theme: Impact Processes
Impact craters are common on all solar system bodies. They offer many clues to scientists regarding the geologic history of a planetary surface, particularly regarding its age, evolution with time, and composition.

For instance, this image covers an impact crater on the southeastern flank of Ascraeus Mons, a notable volcano in the Tharsis Plateau. Based on the original science rationale for acquiring this image, by gaining more information about its depth and consequently the stability of the crater wall, we can learn more about the nature of the volcano’s flank materials.

Also, by carefully studying the materials exposed in the crater walls, we can gain more information about the subsurface.

Written by: Mohamed Ramy El-Maarry (narration: Tre Gibbs)  (13 October 2021)
 
Acquisition date
24 June 2021

Local Mars time
15:34

Latitude (centered)
9.393°

Longitude (East)
257.665°

Spacecraft altitude
269.4 km (167.4 miles)

Original image scale range
55.1 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~165 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
50 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
12.9°

Phase angle
64.3°

Solar incidence angle
53°, with the Sun about 37° above the horizon

Solar longitude
63.2°, Northern Spring

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  28.0°
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   (206MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (122MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (106MB)
non-map           (155MB)

IRB color
map projected  (43MB)
non-map           (113MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (195MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (178MB)

RGB color
non map           (106MB)
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.