HiPOD: Sunday, 26 July 2020
The Eastern Floor of Aram Chaos

The Eastern Floor of Aram Chaos
This image is located within Aram Chaos near the outlet to Ares Valles. Aram Chaos is a 1,300-kilometer diameter depression from which enormous cataclysmic releases of ground water are thought to have exploded onto the surface of Mars. The water then flowed northwards across the southern highlands, helping to carve the approximately 2,000-kilometer long Ares Valles outflow channel system.

A variety of landforms, terrain units and dune fields are visible in this image. In the enhanced color cutout, this portion of Aram Chaos is seen to be composed of isolated hills and eroding mesas, surrounded by a mantle of dark-toned eroded material. A variety of dunes and light-toned units fill the lower elevations between upland terrains.

This is one of many regions where the HiRISE team is obtaining repeat imaging to study active dune field movements. The interplay between the dunes, eroded landforms and the various other light and dark-toned materials provides clues to the relative ages of the geologic processes and the nature of the materials.

ID: ESP_024266_1830
date: 30 September 2011
altitude: 274 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_024266_1830
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
#Mars #science #NASA

Black & white is less than 5 km across; enhanced color is less than 1 km. For full observation details, visit the ID link.