Possible Mud Volcanoes on Mars
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Possible Mud Volcanoes on Mars
ESP_071462_2245  Science Theme: Fluvial Processes
This HiRISE image shows a flat plain with various low, lumpy mounds. Some of them have distinct colors and tones unlike the surrounding plains, suggesting that they are made up of a different type of material.

While the origin of these mounds is not certain, one idea that seems to fit best is that they are deposits left after eruptions of wet sediments onto the surface. This can happen when thick deposits of wet sand and mud are shaken, say from a meteorite impact, and the ground briefly loses its strength, allowing dirty water to be expelled from the deposit. On Earth, this process of “liquefaction” can happen during earthquakes.

If this hypothesis is correct, it means that these mounds provide samples of a potentially habitable environment that we would otherwise need massive drills to reach.

Written by: Laszlo Kestay (narration: Tre Gibbs)  (17 January 2022)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_071528_2245.
 
Acquisition date
24 October 2021

Local Mars time
15:23

Latitude (centered)
44.273°

Longitude (East)
2.724°

Spacecraft altitude
303.6 km (188.7 miles)

Original image scale range
30.7 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~92 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
8.9°

Phase angle
56.0°

Solar incidence angle
47°, with the Sun about 43° above the horizon

Solar longitude
117.4°, Northern Summer

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  355.2°
JPEG
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IRB color
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JP2 EXTRAS
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map-projected  (283MB)
non-map           (339MB)

IRB color
map projected  (96MB)
non-map           (245MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (210MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (204MB)

RGB color
non map           (249MB)
ANAGLYPHS
Map-projected, reduced-resolution
Full resolution JP2 download
Anaglyph details page

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.