Jumbled Blocks on the Floor of Melas Chasma

This image acquired on January 20, 2019 by NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a chaotic jumble of bright layered sediments, perhaps resulting from large landslides.
February 20, 2019
CreditNASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Language
  • english


Map Projected Browse Image
Click on image for larger version

This part of Melas Chasma has been the target for many previous HiRISE images due to its diversity of terrains and materials. This observation covers an area not previously imaged, revealing a chaotic jumble of bright layered sediments, perhaps resulting from large landslides.

In a closeup with enhanced colors, we can see an assortment of materials. Dark sand covers the low areas of the scene.

The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 52.7 centimeters (20.7 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 158 centimeters (62.2 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.

The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.