HiPOD: Wednesday, 1 March 2023
Glacial (Ice) or Lava Flow?

Glacial (Ice) or Lava Flow?
The geologic setting and latitude here suggest this is a glacial (ice-rich) flow, but the surface is broken into plates like many lava flows on Mars. An image was targeted here to get a better look.

At the meter-scale resolution of HiRISE, we see a hummocky surface with boulders and craters plus some wind-blown landforms that seems consistent with either the glacial or lava hypothesis. This is a common result: getting a higher-resolution image doesn’t necessarily provide more information about large-scale processes, instead providing information about how the surface has been modified.

ID: ESP_076502_2100
date: 21 November 2022
altitude: 288 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_076502_2100
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.