NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Contacts between Yardang-Forming Material and Platy Flow Material
AS THE LAVA TURNS
This dust-covered scene contains examples of three of the main geological processes acting on Mars: impact cratering, volcanism, and wind-driven deposition and erosion.

Lava flowed around the older yardangs (wind-carved erosional features, like overturned boat hulls), in the upper left part of the image. The lava flow then stopped when it ran up against the crater rim, visible in the lower right. The surface of the lava flow is alternately rough and smooth. Just as in quiet and rough waters, the surface texture of the solidified lava indicates the conditions of the flow at the time of emplacement. Where the flow was more energetic, the surface is more broken up. When it was able to flow more steadily beneath the crust, slowly cooling without being disrupted, the surface is smoother.

Lava spirals (also called lava coils) are visible in some of the parts of the flow that are smoother. The spirals seen here are similar to those found in the nearby HiRISE image, which you can read about in this Planetary Society blog post. Those lava spirals (over 200 of them!) are described in Anderson and Christensen (2012, Science).

The presence of the spirals provide further evidence that the material surrounding the yardangs is solidified lava, because spirals also occur in lava flows on Earth.

Written by: Sarah Sutton
 
DTM & ORTHOIMAGES
DTEEC_026541_1840_026607_1840_A01   (192 MB)

ESP_026541_1840_RED_A_01_ORTHO
(200 MB)

ESP_026541_1840_IRB_A_01_ORTHO
(114 MB)

ESP_026541_1840_RED_C_01_ORTHO
(19 MB)

ESP_026541_1840_IRB_C_01_ORTHO
(10 MB)

ESP_026607_1840_IRB_C_01_ORTHO
(10 MB)

ESP_026607_1840_RED_C_01_ORTHO
(18 MB)

ESP_026607_1840_IRB_A_01_ORTHO
(120 MB)

ESP_026607_1840_RED_A_01_ORTHO
(192 MB)

Full directory listing

DTM EXTRAS
ESP_026541_1840_RED_C_01_ORTHO
(Annotated Browse)
DTEEC_026541_1840_026607_1840_A01
(Annotated Browse)
ESP_026607_1840_IRB_C_01_ORTHO
(Annotated Browse)
ESP_026541_1840_IRB_C_01_ORTHO
(Annotated Browse)
ESP_026607_1840_RED_C_01_ORTHO
(Annotated Browse)
DTEEC_026541_1840_026607_1840_A01
(Shaded Relief)
DTEEC_026541_1840_026607_1840_A01
(Color Altimetry)

Extras Read me
Extras directory listing
STEREO PAIR
Left observation
ESP_026541_1840

Right observation
ESP_026607_1840

Latitude (center)
3.8°

Longitude (center)
152.0°

Map scale
1.01 meter/pixel

North azimuth
270°


RESOURCES
About DTMs
How to use DTMs