Common Surface Features Of Mars

The common surface features of Mars include dark slope streaks, dust devil tracks, sand dunes, Medusae Fossae Formation, fretted terrain, layers, gullies, glaciers, scalloped topography, chaos terrain, possible ancient rivers, pedestal craters, brain terrain, and ring mold craters.

Slope streaks

A new phenomenon known as slope streaks has been uncovered by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. These features appear on crater walls and other slopes, and they are thin and many hundreds of metres long. The streaks have been observed to grow slowly over the course of a year or so, always beginning at a point source. Newly formed streaks are dark in colour but fade as they age until white. The cause is unknown, but theories range from dry dust avalanches (the favoured theory) to brine seepage.

Examples of dark slope streaks from various parts of Mars are shown below. Click on image to get a better view.

File:Tikonravev Crater Floor.JPG, Tikonravev Crater floor in Arabia quadrangle, as seen by Mars Global Surveyor. Click on image to see dark slope streaks and layers.

Image:25609layersstreak.jpg, Close-up of some layers under cap rock of a pedestal crater and a dark slope streak, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.

File:Dark streaks in Diacria.JPG, Dark streaks in Diacria quadrangle, as seen by Mars Global Surveyor.

Image:ESP_036956_1895layers.jpg, Layers and dark slope streaks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

Esp 036851 1995mesastreaks.jpg, Dark slope streaks on mesa, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Amazonis quadrangle.

Recurrent slope lineae

Recurrent slope lineae are small dark streaks on slopes that elongate in warm seasons. They may be evidence of liquid water.

Viking image of Mars with arrow showing location of seasonal flows.jpg, Image of disk of Mars taken by Viking. Arrow shows location of recurrent slope lineae in following HiRISE images.
49955 1665rslcontextmap.jpg, Labeled map of features near to Coprates Chasma. Arrow shows location of recurrent slope lineae in following HiRISE images.

ESP 049955 1665rslbox.jpg, Wide view of part of Valles Marineris, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Box shows location of recurrent slope lineae that are enlarged in next image.
49955 1665rslcolorarrows.jpg, Close, color view of recurrent slope lineae, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Arrows point to some of the recurrent slope lineae. Fan may have been built up by past recurrent slope lineae.

49955 1665rsldrawing6.jpg, Recurrent slope lineae elongate when the slopes are at their warmest. Near the equator, RSL elongate on northern slopes in the northern summer and on the southern slopes in the southern summer.

Dust devil tracks

Many areas on Mars experience the passage of giant dust devils. A thin coating of fine bright dust covers most of the Martian surface. When a dust devil travels by, it blows away the coating and exposes the underlying dark surface. These dust devils have been seen both from the ground and from orbit. They have even blown the dust off the solar panels of the Spirit and Opportunity Rovers on Mars, greatly extending their lives. The twin Rovers were designed to last for 3 months; instead, Spirit lasted for 6 years, 77 days, while Opportunity continued to operate for a staggering 14 years, 136 days. The pattern of the tracks have been shown to change every few months.

File:Dust devil tracks in Eridania.JPG, Pattern of large and small tracks made by giant dust devils, as seen by under the MOC Public Targeting Program

ESP 036297 2370devils.jpg, Dust devil tracks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

WikiESP 036324 2325devils.jpg, Dust devil tracks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.

File:Russel Crater Dust Devil Changes.JPG, Russell Crater Dust Devil Changes in Noachis quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE. Click on image to see changes in dust devil tracks in just 3 months.

Layers

Many places on Mars show rocks arranged in layers. Rock can form layers in a variety of ways. Volcanoes, wind, or water can produce layers.
A detailed discussion of layering with many Martian examples can be found in Sedimentary Geology of Mars. Layers can be hardened by the action of groundwater. Martian ground water probably moved hundreds of kilometers, and in the process it dissolved many minerals from the rock it passed through. When ground water surfaces in low areas containing sediments, water evaporates in the thin atmosphere and leaves behind minerals as deposits and/or cementing agents. Consequently, layers of dust could not later easily erode away since they were cemented together.

File:60331 1880mound.jpg, Layered mound on floor of Danielson Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

File:60331 1880layerscolortop2.jpg, Close, color view of layers and dark dust on floor of Danielson Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

File:60331 1880layersclosecolor4boulders.jpg, Close, color view of layers and dark dust on floor of Danielson Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Boulders are visible in the image.

File:60331 1880widefault.jpg, Close view of layers on floor of Danielson Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Some faults are visible in image.

Wikifirsoffcloseclose.jpg, Close up view of southern part of Firsoff Crater showing layers, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter).
ESP 039404 1820landingsitetop.jpg, Layers in Firsoff Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this image field can be found in the previous image of the layers in Firsoff Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter).

ESP 039404 1820landingsiteclose.jpg, Close-up of layers in Firsoff Crater, as seen by HiRISE Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image of Firsoff Crater.
File:26270faultsclose.jpg, Faults and layers in Firsoff Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Arrows show location of faults.
Image:ESP 027615 1880layers.jpg, Wide-view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Box shows location of next image. Dark parts of image are dark, basalt sand sitting on level places.
Image:27615fault.jpg, Enlargement of previous image showing a fault and layers. Image taken with HiRISE, under HiWish program.
Wikiesp 039404 1820landingdustfield.jpg, Layers in Firsoff crater with a box showing the size of a football field Picture taken by HiRISE under HiWish program.
Wikiesp 039404 1820landingfir.jpg, Layers and faults in Firsoff Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Arrows show one large fault, but there are other smaller ones in the picture.

Image:ESP_024807whitebutte.jpg, Light toned butte on floor of crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Arrows show outcrops of light toned material. Light toned material is probably sulfate-rich and similar to material examined by Spirit Rover, and it once probably covered the whole floor. Other images below show enlargements of the butte. Location is Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle.
24807whitebuttei.jpg, Enlargement of white butte, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Box shows size of a football field.
24807 1755whitebuttezoomed.jpg, Closer view towards top of white butte, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Box shows size of a football field.
24807 1755whitebuttetop.jpg, Top of white butte, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Box shows size of a football field.

Image:ESP 036510 1735layers.jpg, Layered terrain in Aeolis quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
ESP 045029 1785moundlayers.jpg, Wide view of layered terrain, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is northeast of Gale Crater in Aeolis quadrangle.
45029 1785layerswide.jpg, Close view of mound with layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement from the previous image.
45029 1785layersclose.jpg, Close view of mound with layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement from a previous image.

ESP 039673 1705layeredbuttes.jpg, Layers exposed at the base of a group of buttes in Mangala Valles in Memnonia quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Arrows point to boulders sitting in pits. The pits may have formed by winds, heat from the boulders melting ground ice, or some other process.

Image:ESP 025609layers.jpg, Layers under cap rock of a pedestal crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Pedestal crater is within the much larger Tikhonravov Crater.
Image:25609layersclose.jpg, Close-up of some layers under cap rock of a pedestal crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.

Image:26032butte.jpg, Layers in a butte in Arabia, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
Image:ESP_028353layers.jpg, Layers in Arabia, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
Wikiesp 035896 1845crommelinbutte.jpg, Butte in Crommelin Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Oxia Palus quadrangle.
Wikiesp 035896 1845crommelinhollows.jpg, Layers in Crommelin Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Oxia Palus quadrangle.
Wikiesp 035896 1845crommelinfaults.jpg, Layers in Crommelin Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Arrow indicates fault. Location is Oxia Palus quadrangle.

ESP 043824 2180layers.jpg, Layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Tempe Terra
43824 2160layers.jpg, Layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Tempe Terra Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image.

46684 1280breaking.jpg, Layers breaking up into boulders in Galle Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Argyre quadrangle.
46684 1280gullies.jpg, Layers and gullies in Galle Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Argyre quadrangle.
46684 1280mesa.jpg, Layered mesa in mound in Galle Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Argyre quadrangle.
46684 1280polygons.jpg, Layers and polygons in mound in Galle Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Argyre quadrangle.
46684 1280wall.jpg, Close view of layers in mound in Galle Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Argyre quadrangle.

46234 1845layersclose.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program At least one layer is light-toned which may indicated hydrated minerals. Location is Arabia quadrangle.
46234 1845layerstop.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Arabia quadrangle.


ESP 047421 1890nicelayers.jpg, Wide view of layers in crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program parts of this image are enlarged in other images that follow.
47421 1890bigbutte.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Box shows the size of a football field.
47421 1890layeredterrain.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Box shows the size of a football field.

47421 1890layers5buttes.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Box shows the size of a football field.

47421 1890layersbutte.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

47421 1890layersbuttesclose.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

47421 1890layerssuperclose.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
47421 1890pointed butte.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
47421 1890layersdhadow.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

File:ESP 054552 2110layersridgeswide.jpg, Wide view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

File:ESP 054552 2110layersridgescolor.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program A ridge cuts across the layers at a right angle.

File:54552 2110layersridgesclose.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program A ridge cuts across the layers at a right angle.

File:54552 2110layersridgescolor.jpg, Close view of layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Part of picture is in color. A ridge cuts across the layers at a right angle.

Layers in Ice Cap

ESP 052405 2595icelayers.jpg, Layers in northern ice cap with an angular unconformity, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

52405 2595icelayers.jpg, Close view of layers in northern ice cap, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Arrows point to an angular unconformity.

ESP 052405 2595icelayersclosecolor.jpg, Close, color view of layers in northern ice cap, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

File:ESP 054515 2595icecaplayers.jpg, Layers exposed in northern ice cap, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
File:ESP 054515 2595icecaplayerspartial.jpg, Close view of layers exposed in northern ice cap, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

Sand dunes

Many locations on Mars have sand dunes. An erg (or sand sea), made up of aeolian dune fields referred to as the Circumpolar Dune Field surrounds most of the north polar cap. The dunes are covered by a seasonal carbon dioxide frost that forms in early autumn and remains until late spring. Many martian dunes strongly resemble terrestrial dunes but images acquired by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have shown that martian dunes in the north polar region are subject to modification via grainflow triggered by seasonal sublimation, a process not seen on Earth. Many dunes are black because they are derived from the dark volcanic rock basalt. Extraterrestrial sand seas such as those found on Mars are referred to as "undae" from the Latin for waves.

File:Dark dunes in Noachis.JPG, Dark dunes (probably basalt) which form a dark spot in Noachis. Picture from Mars Global Surveyor.

File:Dunes Wide View.jpg, Wide view of dunes in Noachis, as seen by HiRISE.

File:Close-up view of Dunes.jpg, Close-up View of dunes in previous image, as seen by HiRISE. Note how sand barely covers some boulders.

File:Proctor Crater Ripples and Dunes.JPG, Proctor Crater Ripples and Dunes, as seen by HiRISE.

Image:ESP 034956 1745dunescraters.jpg, Dunes among craters, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Some of these are barchans.

34745 34694combdunes.jpg, Dunes in two craters, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program.

ESP 036131 1675iapygiadikedunes.jpg, Dunes and craters, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

ESP 023561dunes.jpg, Dunes on a crater floor, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Most of these are barchans. Box shows location of next image.
ESP 023561dunesclose.jpg, Dunes on a crater floor, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Most of these are barchans. Note: this is an enlargement of the center of the previous image.
Esp 037367 1340bdunes.jpg, Dunes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Eridania quadrangle.
ESP 045822 1680dunes.jpg, Dunes in Mare Tyrrhenum quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
45822 1680dunesclose.jpg, Close view of dunes Mare Tyrrhenum quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
45822 1680color.jpg, Close, color view of dunes Mare Tyrrhenum quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Ripples are visible on dune surface.


ESP 046378 1415dunes.jpg, Wide view of a field of sand dunes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
46378 1415dunes.jpg, Close view of sand dunes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program A birchen dune is labeled.
46378 1415dunes2.jpg, Close view of sand dunes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
46378 1415dunes3.jpg, Close view of sand dunes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program A birchen dune is labeled.
ESP 046378 1415dunescolor.jpg, Close, color view of sand dunes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

Gullies

Martian gullies are small, incised networks of narrow channels and their associated downslope sediment deposits, found on the planet of Mars. They are named for their resemblance to terrestrial gullies. First discovered on images from Mars Global Surveyor, they occur on steep slopes, especially on the walls of craters. Usually, each gully has a dendritic ''alcove'' at its head, a fan-shaped ''apron'' at its base, and a single thread of incised ''channel'' linking the two, giving the whole gully an hourglass shape. They are believed to be relatively young because they have few, if any craters.

On the basis of their form, aspects, positions, and location amongst and apparent interaction with features thought to be rich in water ice, many researchers believed that the processes carving the gullies involve liquid water. However, this remains a topic of active research.

WikiESP 038231 1410gully.jpg, Gullies with alcove, channel, apron—the parts of a complete gully. Picture taken with HiRISE under HiWish program.

Image:20803gullies with glacier remains.jpg, Gullies with remains of a former glacier in crater in Terra Sirenum, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is the Phaethontis quadrangle.

Image:Gullies near Newton Crater.jpg, Gullies near Newton Crater, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish Program. Location is the Phaethontis quadrangle.

Image:Gullies in Terra Sirenum.jpg, Gullies in a crater in Terra Sirenum, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish Program. Location is the Phaethontis quadrangle.

Image:21845gulliespatt.jpg, Close-up of gully showing multiple channels and patterned ground, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program. Location is the Phaethontis quadrangle.

Image:Gulliesthaumasal.jpg, Group of gullies in Thaumasia quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program.

Image:Multiple channels in 21461.jpg, Enlargement of part of previous image showing smaller gullies inside larger ones. Water probably flowed in these gullies more than once.

Image:ESP 024951gulliesandflow.jpg, Gullies and massive flow of material, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Gullies are enlarged in next image. Location is Bamberg crater

Image:24951gulliesclose.jpg, Close up view of some gullies, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program.

File:ESP 027707 2195gullies.jpg, Gullies in a crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is in the Mare Acidalium quadrangle.

File:27707gulliesclose.jpg, Close-up of gullies in a crater from previous image. Image taken by HiRISE under HiWish program.

Image:26420gullieswide.jpg, Wide view of group of gullies, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Note that part of this image is enlarged in the following image. Location is Diacria quadrangle.

Image:26420gulliesclose.jpg, Close-up of gullies, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Streamlined features in the channels are suggestive of a formation by running water. Location is Diacria quadrangle.


ESP 039753 1385gulliespits.jpg, Gullies in crater in Phaethontis quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
ESP 039753 1385floordetail.jpg, Floor of crater from previous image in Phaethontis quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Ring mold crater is caused by asteroid reaching an ice layer. Pits on floor may be from ice escaping the ground.

ESP 039793 1385gullies.jpg, Gullies in crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Eridania quadrangle.

ESP 039793 1385channeldetails.jpg, Close-up of gullies in crater showing channels within larger valleys and curves in channels. These characteristics suggest they were made by flowing water. Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Eridania quadrangle.

ESP 039793 1385channelsclose.jpg, Close-up of gully network showing branched channels and curves; these characteristics suggest creation by a fluid. Note: this is an enlargement of a previous wide view of gullies in a crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Eridania quadrangle.

ESP 039621 1315gullies2levels.jpg, Gullies in two levels of a crater wall, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Gullies at two levels suggests they were not made with an aquifer, as was first suggested. Location is Phaethontis quadrangle.

ESP 039621 1315gullies.jpg, Image of gullies with main parts labeled. The main parts of a Martian gully are alcove, channel, and apron. Since there are no craters on this gully, it is thought to be rather young. Picture was taken by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Phaethontis quadrangle.
ESP 039621 1315aprons.jpg, Close-up of gully aprons showing they are free of craters; hence very young. Location is Phaethontis quadrangle. Picture was taken by HiRISE under HiWish program.

ESP 037506 2285gullychannels.jpg, Gullies on wall of crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is the Mare Acidalium quadrangle.
ESP 037506 2285gullychannelsclose.jpg, Close-up of gully channels, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. This image shows many streamlined forms and some benches along a channel. These features suggest formation by running water. Benches are usually formed when the water level goes down a bit and stays at that level for a time. Picture was taken with HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is the Mare Acidalium quadrangle. Note this is an enlargement of a previous image.


ESP 047395 1415gulliesridges.jpg, Gullies in crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

47395 1415gullycurvedchannels.jpg, Close view of gullies from previous image The channels are quite curved. Because channels of gullies often form curves, it was thought that they were made by flowing water. Today, it is thought that they could be produced with chunks of dry ice. The image is from HiRISE under HiWish program.

Gullies on Dunes

Gullies are found on some dunes. These are somewhat different from gullies in other places, like the walls of craters. Gullies on dunes seem to keep the same width for a long distance and often just end with a pit, instead of an apron. They are often just a few meters across with raised banks along the sides. Many of these gullies are found on dunes in Russell (Martian crater). In the winter dry ice accumulates on the dunes and then in the spring dark spots appear and dark-toned streaks grow downhill. After the dry ice is gone, new channels are visible. These gullies may be caused by blocks of dry ice moving down the steep slope or perhaps from dry ice starts the sand moving. In the thin atmosphere of mars, dry ice will expel carbon dioxide with vigor.

ESP 020217 1255dunechannels.jpg, Wide view of dunes in Russell Crater, as seen by HiRISE Many narrow gullies are visible.
20217 1255dunechannelsclose.jpg, Close view of the end of gullies in Russell Crater, as seen by HiRISE Note: These type of gullies do not usually end with an apron. The location is Noachis quadrangle.

20217 1255dunechannelsclosetop.jpg, Close view of the end of gullies in Russell Crater, as seen by HiRISE
ESP 020217 1255dunesclosecolor.jpg, Close, color view of the end of gullies in Russell Crater, as seen by HiRISE

Medusae Fossae Formation

The Medusae Fossae Formation is a soft, easily eroded deposit that extends for nearly 1,000 km along the equator of Mars. Sometimes the formation appears as a smooth and gently undulating surface; however, in places it is wind-sculpted into ridges and grooves. Radar imaging has suggested that the region may contain either extremely porous rock (for example volcanic ash) or deep layers of glacier-like ice deposits amounting to about the same quantity as is stored in Mars' south polar cap.

The lower portion (member) of Medusae Fossae Formation contains many patterns and shapes that are thought to be the remains of streams. It is believed that streams formed valleys that were filled and became resistant to erosion by cementation of minerals or by the gathering of a coarse covering layer. These inverted stream beds are sometimes called sinuous ridges or raised curvilinear features. They may be a kilometer or so in length. Their height ranges from a meter to greater than 10 meters, while the width of the narrow ones is less than 10 meters.

The wind has eroded the surface of the formation into a series of linear ridges called yardangs. These ridges generally point in the direction of the prevailing winds that carved them and demonstrate the erosive power of martian winds. The easily eroded nature of the Medusae Fossae Formation suggests that it is composed of weakly cemented particles, and was most likely formed by the deposition of wind-blown dust or volcanic ash. Layers are seen in parts of the formation. A resistant caprock on the top of yardangs has been observed in Viking, Mars Global Surveyor, and HiRISE photos. Very few impact craters are visible throughout the area so the surface is relatively young.Medusae Fossae Formation , Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS
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File:Medusae Fossae Formation.jpg, Medusae Fossae Formation as seen with Mars Odyssey's THEMIS. Notice elongated formations called yardangs.

WikiESP 035295 1885yardangs.jpg, Yardangs of various sizes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
WikiESP 035295 1885yardangstop.jpg, Yardangs of various sizes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
WikiESP 039563 1730yardangs.jpg, Yardangs formed in light-toned material and surrounded by dark, volcanic basalt sand, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
WikiESP 039563 1730yardangsclose.jpg, Close-up image of yardangs, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Arrows point to transverse aeolian ridges, TAR's, a type of dune. Note this is an enlargement of the previous image from HiRISE.
File:Medusae Formation Layers.jpg, Layers in lower member of Medusae Fossae Formation, as seen by HiRISE. Location is Aeolis quadrangle.

Yardangs

Yardangs are common in some regions on Mars, especially in the Medusae Fossae Formation of the Amazonis quadrangle and near the equator. They are formed by the action of wind on sand sized particles; hence they often point in the direction that the winds were blowing when they were formed. Because they exhibit very few impact craters they are believed to be relatively young.

WikiESP 035558 1830yardang.jpg, Yardangs, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is near Gordii Dorsum in the Amazonis quadrangle. These yardangs are in the upper member of the Medusae Fossae Formation.
35558 1830yardangs.jpg, Yardangs, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is near Gordii Dorsum in the Amazonis quadrangle. Note: this is an enlargement of previous image.
35558 1830yardangsclose.jpg, Yardangs, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is near Gordii Dorsum in the Amazonis quadrangle. Note: this is an enlargement of previous image.

Fretted terrain

Fretted terrain is a type of surface feature common to certain areas of Mars and discovered in Mariner 9 images. It lies between two different surfaces. The surface of Mars can be divided into two parts: low, young, uncratered plains that cover most of the northern hemisphere, and high-standing, old, heavily cratered areas that cover the southern hemisphere and a small part of the northern hemisphere. Between these two zones is the fretted terrain, containing a complicated mix of cliffs, mesas, buttes, and straight-walled and sinuous canyons. Fretted terrain contains smooth, flat lowlands along with steep cliffs. The scarps or cliffs are usually 1 to 2 km high. Channels in the area have wide, flat floors and steep walls. Fretted terrain is most common in northern Arabia, between latitudes 30°N and 50°N and longitudes 270°W and 360°W. Parts of the fretted terrain are called Deuteronilus Mensae and Protonilus Mensae.

In fretted terrain, the land seems to transition from narrow straight valleys to isolated mesas. Most of the mesas are surrounded by forms that have been called a variety of names (circum-mesa aprons, debris aprons, rock glaciers, and lobate debris aprons). At first they appeared to resemble rock glaciers on Earth, but scientists could not be sure. Eventually, proof of their true nature was discovered by radar studies with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and showed that they contain pure water ice covered with a thin layer of rocks that insulated the ice.

In addition to rock covered glaciers around mesas, the region has many steep-walled valleys with lineations—ridges and grooves—on their floors. The material comprising these valley floors is called lineated valley fill. In some of the best images taken by the Viking Orbiters, some of the valley fill appeared to resemble alpine glaciers on Earth. Given this similarity, some scientists assumed that the lineations on these valley floors might have formed by flow of ice in (and perhaps through) these canyons and valleys. Today, it is generally agreed that glacial flow caused the lineations.

File:Fretted terrain of Ismenius Lacus taken with MGS.JPG, Fretted terrain of Ismenius Lacus showing flat floored valleys and cliffs. Photo taken with Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)on the Mars Global Surveyor.

File:Steep cliff in Ismenius Lacus taken with MGS.JPG, Enlargement of the photo on the left showing cliff. Photo taken with high resolution camera of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS).

File:Evidence of Glaciers in Fretted terrain.JPG, The arrow in the left picture points to a possibly valley carved by a glacier. The image on the right shows the valley greatly enlarged in a Mars Global Surveyor image.

Wikictxp13clifflda.jpg, Wide view of mesa with CTX showing Cliff face and location of lobate debris apron (LDA). Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
Wikifretesp 028313 2220cliff.jpg, Enlargement of previous CTX image of mesa This image shows the cliff face and detail in the LDA. Image taken with HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

File:Lobate Debris Apron in Phlegra Montes.JPG, Lobate debris apron in Phlegra Montes, as seen by HiRISE. The debris apron is probably mostly ice with a thin covering of rock debris, so it could be a source of water for future Martian colonists. Image from the Cebrenia quadrangle. Scale bar is 500 meters long.

File:Reull Vallis lineated deposits.jpg, Reull Vallis with lineated floor deposits, as seen by THEMIS. Image located in Hellas quadrangle. Click on image to see relationship to other features.

Wikifrettedctxp22.jpg, Wide CTX view showing mesa and buttes with lobate debris aprons and lineated valley fill around them. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
WikiESP 020769 2225fretted.jpg, Close-up of lineated valley fill (LVF), as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of the previous CTX image.

Glaciers

Glaciers, loosely defined as patches of currently or recently flowing ice, are thought to be present across large but restricted areas of the modern Martian surface, and are inferred to have been more widely distributed at times in the past."The Surface of Mars" Series: Cambridge Planetary Science (No. 6) Michael H. Carr, United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park

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Image:Glacier as seen by ctx.JPG, Mesa in Ismenius Lacus quadrangle, as seen by CTX. Mesa has several glaciers eroding it. One of the glaciers is seen in greater detail in the next two images from HiRISE. Image from Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

Image:Wide view of glacier showing image field.JPG, Glacier as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program. Area in rectangle is enlarged in the next photo. Zone of accumulation of snow at the top. Glacier is moving down valley, then spreading out on plain. Evidence for flow comes from the many lines on surface. Location is in Protonilus Mensae in Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

Image:Glacier close up with hirise.JPG, Enlargement of area in rectangle of the previous image. On Earth the ridge would be called the terminal moraine of an alpine glacier. Picture taken with HiRISE under the HiWish program. Image from Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

ESP 045560 2230wideglacier.jpg, Glacier coming out of valley, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is rim of Moreux Crater. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

Image:Lobate feature with hiwish.JPG, Probable glacier as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Radar studies have found that it is made up of almost totally of pure ice. It appears to be moving from the high ground (a mesa) on the right. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.


Wikildaf03 036777 2287.jpg, Lobate debris aprons (LDAs) around a mesa, as seen by CTX. Mesa and LDAs are labeled so one can see their relationship. Radar studies have determined that LDAs contain ice; therefore, these can be important for future colonists of Mars. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
WikiESP 036777 2290lda.jpg, Close-up of lobate debris apron (LDA), as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

Wikifrettedctxpo5.jpg, Wide CTX view of mesa showing lobate debris apron (LDA) and lineated valley fill. Both are believed to be debris covered glaciers. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
Wikifretesp 027639 2210lda.jpg, Close-up of lobate debris apron from the previous CTX image of a mesa. Image shows open-cell brain terrain and closed-cell brain terrain, which is more common. Open-cell brain terrain is thought to hold a core of ice. Image is from HiRISE under HiWish program.

Concentric crater fill

Concentric crater fill, like lobate debris aprons and lineated valley fill, is believed to be ice-rich. Based on accurate topography measures of height at different points in these craters and calculations of how deep the craters should be based on their diameters, it is thought that the craters are 80% filled with mostly ice. That is, they hold hundreds of meters of material that probably consists of ice with a few tens of meters of surface debris. The ice accumulated in the crater from snowfall in previous climates. Recent modeling suggests that concentric crater fill develops over many cycles in which snow is deposited, then moves into the crater. Once inside the crater, shade and dust preserve the snow. The snow changes to ice. The many concentric lines are created by the many cycles of snow accumulation. Generally snow accumulates whenever the axial tilt reaches 35 degrees.

Wikiconcentric.jpg, Crater showing concentric crater fill, as seen by CTX (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Location is Phaethontis quadrangle.
Wikiconcentricclose22451.jpg, Close-up view of concentric crater fill, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of previous image of a concentric crater. Location is Phaethontis quadrangle.

Wikiconcentrib22.jpg, Crater with concentric crater fill, as seen by CTX (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Location is Casius quadrangle.
Image:Hollows as seen by hirise under hiwish program.jpg, Well-developed hollows, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program. Location is the Casius quadrangle. Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image that was taken by CTX.

Mesas

ESP 045016 2080mesas.jpg, Wide view of Buttes and Mesas, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Elysium quadrangle.

45016 2080mesas2.jpg, Buttes and mesas, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image.
45016 2080mesas.jpg, Mesas, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of a previous image.

ESP 047080 2120layered mesa.jpg, Layers in mesa, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Mare Acidalium quadrangle.
47080 2120layersclose.jpg, Close view of layers in mesa, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

ESP 047441 1800layerstreaks.jpg, Wide view of layered buttes and small mesas, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Some dark slope streaks are visible. Location is Aeolis quadrangle. Note: Parts of this image are enlarged in next three pictures.

47441 1800moundsstreaks.jpg, Layered mesa and mounds with dark slope streaks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
47441 1800mesaclose.jpg, Close view of layered small mesa with dark slope streak, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Box shows the size of a football field.
47441 1800pyramidrock.jpg, Very close view of individual blocks breaking off layer in a butte, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Blocks have angular shapes. Box shows size of football field.

Chaos terrain

Chaos terrain is believed to be associated with the release of huge amounts of water. The chaotic features may have collapsed when water came out of the surface. Martian outflow channels commonly begin with a Chaos region. A chaotic region can be recognized by a tangle of mesas, buttes, and hills, all chopped through with valleys which in places look almost patterned. Some parts of this chaotic area have not collapsed completely—they are still formed into large mesas, so they may still contain water ice. Chaotic terrain occurs in numerous locations on Mars, and always gives the strong impression that something abruptly disturbed the ground. Chaos regions formed long ago. By counting craters (more craters in any given area means an older surface) and by studying the valleys' relations with other geological features, scientists have concluded the channels formed 2.0 to 3.8 billion years ago.

File:Canyons and Mesas of Aureum Chaos in Oxia Palus.JPG, Huge canyons in Aureum Chaos, as seen by THEMIS. Gullies are rare at this latitude. Image from Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle.

File:Iani Chaos.JPG, Iani Chaos, as seen by THEMIS. Sand from eroding mesas is covering brighter floor material. Click on image to see relationship of Iani Chaos to other local features. Image from Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle.

File:Erosion in Aram Chaos.JPG, Erosion in Aram Chaos, as seen by THEMIS. Image in Oxia Palus quadrangle.

File:Blocks in Aram.JPG, Blocks in Aram showing possible source of water, as seen by THEMIS. Image in Oxia Palus quadrangle.

File:Eos Chaos.jpg, Light colored layers in Eos Chaos, as seen by HiRISE.

File:Ister Chaos.jpg, Ister Chaos, as seen by HiRISE.

File:Ister Chaos Close-up.JPG, Close-up of Ister Chaos, as seen by HiRISE.

File:Aureum Chaos wide context.JPG, THEMIS image of wide view of following HiRISE images. Black box shows approximate location of HiRISE images. This image is just a part of the vast area known as Aureum Chaos. Click on image to see more details.

File:Aureum Chaos wide view.JPG, Aureum Chaos, as seen by HiRISE, under the HiWish program.

File:Aureum Chaos HiWish.JPG, Close up view of previous image, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Small round dots are boulders.

ESP 045075 1715layers.jpg, Wide view of layers in wall of Aurorae Chaos, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

45075 1715layers.jpg, Close view of layers from previous image, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

45075 1715layersclose.jpg, Close view of layers from a previous image, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Box shows the size of football field.

45075 1715layersclosesouth.jpg, Close view of layers from a previous image, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

Upper plains unit

Image:ESP_024868pyramid.jpg, Layered feature probably formed by the erosion of the upper plains unit, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
P1010377redrocksfall.jpg, Layered feature in Red Rocks Park, Colorado. This has a different origin than ones on Mars, but it has a similar shape. Features in Red Rocks region were caused by uplift of mountains.


Image:ESP 028692 1395pyramidcropped.jpg, Layered feature that is probably the remains of a once widespread unit that fell from the sky, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program

ESP 034509 1450pyramidshellas.jpg, Layered feature, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program

ESP 034072 1435pyramidhellas.jpg, Layered feature in crater, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program

ESP 045321 1415pyramid.jpg, Layered feature in crater, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program

Remnants of a 50–100 meter thick mantling, called the upper plains unit, has been discovered in the mid-latitudes of Mars. First investigated in the Deuteronilus Mensae region, but it occurs in other places as well. The remnants consist of sets of dipping layers in craters and along mesas. Sets of dipping layers may be of various sizes and shapes—some look like Aztec pyramids from Central America.

ESP 019778 1385pyramid.jpg, Layered structure in crater that is probably what is left of a layered unit that once covered a much larger area. Material for this unit fell from the sky as ice-coated dust. The picture was taken by HiRISE, under the HiWish program.
ESP 045613 2230pyramids.jpg, Wide view of dipping layers along mesa walls, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
45613 2230pyramids.jpg, Close view of dipping layers along a mesa wall, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

This unit also degrades into brain terrain. Brain terrain is a region of maze-like ridges 3–5 meters high. Some ridges may consist of an ice core, so they may be sources of water for future colonists.

45507 2200brains.jpg, Brain terrain, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

ESP 028336 1395pyramidhellas.jpg, Small, layered structure, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program Picture also shows brain terrain forming.

Some regions of the upper plains unit display large fractures and troughs with raised rims; such regions are called ribbed upper plains. Fractures are believed to have started with small cracks from stresses. Stress is suggested to initiate the fracture process since ribbed upper plains are common when debris aprons come together or near the edge of debris aprons—such sites would generate compressional stresses. Cracks exposed more surfaces, and consequently more ice in the material sublimates into the planet's thin atmosphere. Eventually, small cracks become large canyons or troughs. Small cracks often contain small pits and chains of pits; these are thought to be from sublimation of ice in the ground.
Large areas of the Martian surface are loaded with ice that is protected by a meters thick layer of dust and other material. However, if cracks appear, a fresh surface will expose ice to the thin atmosphere. In a short time, the ice will disappear into the cold, thin atmosphere in a process called sublimation. Dry ice behaves in a similar fashion on the Earth. On Mars sublimation has been observed when the Phoenix lander uncovered chunks of ice that disappeared in a few days.Bright Chunks at ''Phoenix'' Lander's Mars Site Must Have Been Ice
– Official NASA press release (19.06.2008)
/ref> In addition, HiRISE has seen fresh craters with ice at the bottom. After a time, HiRISE saw the ice deposit disappear.

Image:Ice sublimating in the Dodo-Goldilocks trench.gif, Die-sized clumps of bright material in the enlarged "Dodo-Goldilocks" trench vanished over the course of four days, implying that they were composed of ice which sublimated following exposure.

Image:Evaporating ice on Mars Phoenix lander image.jpg, Color versions of the photos showing ice sublimation, with the lower left corner of the trench enlarged in the insets in the upper right of the images.

The upper plains unit is thought to have fallen from the sky. It drapes various surfaces, as if it fell evenly. As is the case for other mantle deposits, the upper plains unit has layers, is fine-grained, and is ice-rich. It is widespread; it does not seem to have a point source. The surface appearance of some regions of Mars is due to how this unit has degraded. It is a major cause of the surface appearance of lobate debris aprons.
The layering of the upper plains mantling unit and other mantling units are believed to be caused by major changes in the planet's climate. Models predict that the obliquity or tilt of the rotational axis has varied from its present 25 degrees to maybe over 80 degrees over geological time. Periods of high tilt will cause the ice in the polar caps to be redistributed and change the amount of dust in the atmosphere.

Latitude dependent mantle

Much of the Martian surface is covered with a thick ice-rich, mantle layer that has fallen from the sky a number of times in the past. In some places a number of layers are visible in the mantle.

Esp 037167 1445mantle.jpg, Surface showing appearance with and without mantle covering, as seen by HiRISE, under the HiWish program. Location is Terra Sirenum in Phaethontis quadrangle.
Image:2509mantlelayers.jpg, Mantle layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Eridania quadrangle
Image:24589mantle.jpg, Close up view of mantle, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program. Mantle may be composed of ice and dust that fell from the sky during past climatic conditions. Location is Cebrenia quadrangle.
45070 1440mantlelayers.jpg, Smooth mantle with layers in Hellas quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
45085 2205mantlethickness.jpg, Close view of mantle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Arrows show craters along edge which highlight the thickness of mantle. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
45917 2220gulliesmantle.jpg, Close view that displays the thickness of the mantle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

It fell as snow and ice-coated dust. There is good evidence that this mantle is ice-rich. The shapes of the polygons common on many surfaces suggest ice-rich soil. High levels of hydrogen (probably from water) have been found with Mars Odyssey. Thermal measurements from orbit suggest ice. The Phoenix Lander found water ice directly since it landed in a field of polygons and its landing rockets exposed a pure ice surface. Theory had predicted that ice would be found under a few cm of soil. This mantle layer is called "latitude dependent mantle" because its occurrence is related to the latitude. It is this mantle that cracks and then forms polygonal ground. This cracking of ice-rich ground is predicted based on physical processes.

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Polygonal patterned ground

Polygonal, patterned ground is quite common in some regions of Mars. It is commonly believed to be caused by the sublimation of ice from the ground. Sublimation is the direct change of solid ice to a gas. This is similar to what happens to dry ice on the Earth. Places on Mars that display polygonal ground may indicate where future colonists can find water ice. Patterned ground forms in a mantle layer, called latitude dependent mantle, that fell from the sky when the climate was different.

44042 2240highcenterpolygons.jpg, High center polygons, shown with arrows, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Casius quadrangle. Image enlarged with HiView.
44042 2240scallops.jpg, Scalloped terrain labeled with both low center polygons and high center polygons, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Casius quadrangle. Image enlarged with HiView.
44042 2240highlowcenters.jpg, High and low center polygons, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Casius quadrangle. Image enlarged with HiView.
43899 2265highcenterpolygonsclose.jpg, Close-up of high center polygons seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Troughs between polygons are easily visible in this view. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
44042 2240lowcenter.jpg, Low center polygons, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Casius quadrangle. Image enlarged with HiView. Location is Casius quadrangle.

45070 1440glacialsnout.jpg, Close view of snout of glacier, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program High center polygons are visible. Box shows size of football field.
45070 1440polygons.jpg, Close view of high center polygons near glacier, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program
45070 1440polygonscloseshadows.jpg, Close view of high center polygons near glacier, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program Box shows size of football field.

ESP 045299 1545channelswide.jpg, Wide view of a group of channels, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish project Some parts of the surface show patterned ground when enlarged.
45299 1545patternedground.jpg, Patterned ground, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program This is a close up from previous image.

45299 1545ridges.jpg, Ridges, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program This is a close up from a previous image.

ESP 045299 1545coloredclose.jpg, Color image of patterned ground, enlarged from a previous image, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

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Scalloped topography

Scalloped topography is common in the mid-latitudes of Mars, between 45° and 60° north and south. It is particularly prominent in the region of Utopia Planitia in the northern hemisphere and in the region of Peneus and Amphitrites Patera in the southern hemisphere. Such topography consists of shallow, rimless depressions with scalloped edges, commonly referred to as "scalloped depressions" or simply "scallops". Scalloped depressions can be isolated or clustered and sometimes seem to coalesce. A typical scalloped depression displays a gentle equator-facing slope and a steeper pole-facing scarp. This topographic asymmetry is probably due to differences in insolation. Scalloped depressions are believed to form from the removal of subsurface material, possibly interstitial ice, by sublimation. This process may still be happening at present.

On November 22, 2016, NASA reported finding a large amount of underground ice in the Utopia Planitia region of Mars. The volume of water detected has been estimated to be equivalent to the volume of water in Lake Superior.
The volume of water ice in the region were based on measurements from the ground-penetrating radar instrument on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, called SHARAD. From the data obtained from SHARAD, “dielectric permittivity”, or the dielectric constant was determined. The dielectric constant value was consistent with a large concentration of water ice.

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ESP 037461 2255scallopstop.jpg, Scalloped ground, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
ESP 037461 2255scallopground.jpg, Close-up of scalloped ground, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Surface is divided into polygons; these forms are common where ground freezes and thaws. Note: this is an enlargement of a previous image.
ESP 037461 2255scallopsbottom.jpg, Scalloped ground, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
ESP 037461 2255scallopsclose.jpg, Close-up of scalloped ground, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Surface is divided into polygons; these forms are common where ground freezes and thaws. Note: this is an enlargement of a previous image.
File:Scalop formation.jpg, Stages in scallop formation, as seen by HiRISE. Location is Hellas quadrangle.
WikiESP 029418 2220scallops.jpg, Periglacial Scallops and polygons, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.

Ancient rivers?

There is great deal of evidence that water once flowed in river valleys on Mars. Pictures from orbit show winding valleys, branched valleys, and even meanders with oxbow lakes. Some are visible in the pictures below.

ESP 036051 1515iapyagiachannel.jpg, Channel within a larger channel, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
Wikichannelsarabia.jpg, Channels in Arabia, as seen by CTX This channel winds along for a good distance and has branches. It ends in a depression that may have been a lake at one time.
WikiESP 039997 2170channels.jpg, Channel in Arabia, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. This is an enlargement of the previous image that was taken with CTX to give a wide view.

WikisklodowskaESP 035500 2130.jpg, Channels in Sklodowska Crater, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program.
File:29054cutoff.jpg, Stream meander and cutoff, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
WikiESP 039594 1365oxbow.jpg, Oxbow lake, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
File:ESP 054919 1465channels.jpg, Channel, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
WikiESP 035449 2100stream.jpg, Valleys as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
WikiESP 034082 1375channel.jpg, Channel on floor of Newton Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
ESP 037045 2235channel.jpg, Branched channel, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
WikiESP 033729 1410stream.jpg, Branched channel, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
ESP 045779 1730meander.jpg, Channel showing an old oxbow and a cutoff, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is Memnonia quadrangle.

Image:ESP_025336channels.jpg, Channels, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Stream appears to have eroded through a hill.
ESP 052738 2135channel.jpg, Channel, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is the Cebrenia quadrangle.

Streamlined shapes

Streamlined shapes represent more evidence of past flowing water on Mars. Water shaped features into streamlined shapes.

ESP 045897 1645streamlined.jpg, Streamlined feature, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Memnonia quadrangle.

ESP 045860 2085streamlined.jpg, Wide view of streamlined shapes in Amenthes quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
ESP 045860 2085streamlinedbottom.jpg, Close view of streamlined shapes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Arrow indicates the direction of past flowing water.
ESP 045860 2085streamlinedmiddle.jpg, Close view of streamlined shapes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
ESP 045860 2085streamlinedtop.jpg, Close view of streamlined shapes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
ESP 045860 2085streamlineduppertop.jpg, Close view of streamlined shapes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
45860 2085close.jpg, Close view of streamlined shape, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
ESP 052677 2075streamlined.jpg, Streamlined shapes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is the Elysium quadrangle.

Deltas

26126contextb22 018333 1548delta.jpg, Wide view of a delta in Holden Crater, as seen by CTX
ESP 026126 1530delta.jpg, Part of delta, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is a portion of the previous CTX image.
26126 1530deltalayers.jpg, Close view of previous image showing layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program and enlarged with HiView

Pedestal crater

Pedestal craters are believed to be caused by a crater's ejecta protecting the material beneath it from eroding. The underlying material is probably ice-rich; hence these craters indicate where and how much ice was present in the ground.

ESP 037528 2350pedestal.jpg, Pedestal crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Top layer has protected the lower material from being eroded.

Image:Layers in a crater in Arabia.JPG, Pedestal craters and layers in Tikonravev Crater in Arabia, as seen by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), under the MOC Public Targeting Program. Layers may form from volcanoes, the wind, or by deposition under water. Some researchers believe this crater once held a massive lake.
Image:Pedestal crater3.jpg, Pedestal craters form when the ejecta from impacts protect the underlying material from erosion. As a result of this process, craters appear perched above their surroundings.
Image:Pedestaldrawingcolor2.jpg, Drawing shows a later idea of how some pedestal craters form. In this way of thinking, an impacting projectile goes into an ice-rich layer—but no further. Heat and wind from the impact hardens the surface against erosion. This hardening can be accomplished by the melting of ice which produces a salt/mineral solution thereby cementing the surface.

Image:Pedestaltop22919.jpg, Dark slope streaks near the top of a pedestal crater, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program. Note in the middle of the picture, one can see the track of a boulder that rolled down a slope.
Esp 036815 2330pedestal.jpg, Pedestal crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program The ejecta is not symmetrical around crater because the asteroid came at a low angle out of the North East. The ejecta protected the underlying material from erosion; hence the crater looks elevated. The location is Casius quadrangle.
Esp 036815 2330pedestallobe.jpg, Close-up of East side (right side) of previous image of pedestal crater showing polygons on lobe. Since the margin of the crater has lobes and polygons, it is believed there is ice under the protective top. Picture taken with HiRISE under HiWish program. Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image.

Image:Streaks22919.jpg, Dark slope streaks and layers near a pedestal crater, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program.
ESP 045462 1920pedestal.jpg, Pedestal crater with layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Amazonis quadrangle.

Halo Craters

ESP_044939 2390pedestalhalocrater.jpg, Pedestal crater with boulders along rim. Such craters are called "halo craters." Picture taken with HiRISE under HiWish program.

44939 2390bouldersleft.jpg, Close view of boulders on lower left of crater rim Box is the size of a football field, so boulders are roughly the size of cars or small houses. Picture taken with HiRISE under HiWish program.
44939 2390boulders.jpg, Close view of boulders along crater rim Boulders are roughly the size of cars or small houses. Picture taken with HiRISE under HiWish program.

Boulders

ESP 045415 2220boulders.jpg, Boulders, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

45575 2535duneboulders.jpg, Boulder and boulder tracks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program The arrow shows a boulder that has made a track in the sand as it rolled down dune. Location is Mare Boreum quadrangle.

45575 2535dunebouldertracks.jpg, Boulders and tracks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program The arrows show a boulders that have produced a track by rolling down dune. Location is Mare Boreum quadrangle.

Brain terrain

Brain terrain is a feature of the Martian surface, consisting of complex ridges found on lobate debris aprons, lineated valley fill and concentric crater fill. It is so named because it suggests the ridges on the surface of the human brain. Wide ridges are called ''closed-cell'' brain terrain, and the less common narrow ridges are called ''open-cell'' brain terrain. It is thought that the wide closed-cell terrain contains a core of ice, and when the ice disappears the center of the wide ridge collapses to produce the narrow ridges of the open-cell brain terrain.

File:25246brainseroding.jpg, Closed-cell brain terrain, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program. This type of surface is common on lobate debris aprons, concentric crater fill, and lineated valley fill.

GtalkESP 023815 2215braincontext.jpg, Context picture showing origin of next picture. The location is a region of lineated valley fill. Image from HiRISE under HiWish program.
File:Htalk23815 2215lvfclose.jpg, Open and closed-cell brain terrain, as seen by HiRISE, under HiWish program.

ESP 045349 2235brains.jpg, Wide view of brain terrain being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

45349 2235brainsforming2.jpg, Brain terrain being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image using HiView. Arrows indicate spots where brain terrain is beginning to form.
45349 2235brainsforming.jpg, Brain terrain being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of a previous image using HiView. Arrows indicate spots where brain terrain is beginning to form.
45349 2235brainsforming3.jpg, Brain terrain being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of a previous image using HiView.
45349 2235brainschanging.jpg, Brain terrain being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of a previous image using HiView.
45917 2220openclosedbrains.jpg, Open and closed brain terrain with labels, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

45917 2220brainsopenclosed.jpg, Open and closed brain terrain with labels, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

45917 2220brainsforming.jpg, Brain terrain being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
46075 2200brainsforming.jpg, Brain terrain being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Arrows point to locations where the brain terrain is starting to form.

ESP 045363 2190brain.jpg, Wide view of brain terrain being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
45363 2190brainsforming.jpg, Brain terrain being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image using HiView.
45363 2190brainsforming2.jpg, Brain terrain being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of a previous image using HiView.

Ring mold craters

Ring mold craters are believed to be formed from asteroid impacts into ground that has an underlying layer of ice. The impact produces an rebound of the ice layer to form a "ring-mold" shape.

ESP 037622 2200ringmolds.jpg, Ring mold craters on floor of a crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
ESP 037622 2200ringmoldfield.jpg, Ring mold craters of various sizes on floor of a crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

26055cratermesaswide.jpg, Wide view of a field of ring mold craters, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
26055ringmoldcrater.jpg, Close view of ring mold crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image of a field of ring mold craters.

Rootless Cones

Rootless cones are caused by explosions of lava with ground ice under the flow. The ice melts and turns into a vapor that expands in an explosion that produces a cone or ring. Features like these are found in Iceland, when lavas cover water-saturated substrates.

ESP 045384 2065lavaice.jpg, Wide view of field of rootless cones, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
45384 2065cones.jpg, Close view of rootless cones with tails that suggest lava was moving toward the Southwest over ice-rich ground, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
45384 2065conesclose.jpg, Close view of cones with the size of a football field shown, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

Mud volcanoes

Some features look like volcanoes. Some of them may be mud volcanoes where pressurized mud is forced upward forming cones. These features may be places to look for life as they bring to the surface possible life that has been protected from radiation.

Image:ESP 040775 2235cones.jpg, Large field of cones that may be mud volcanoes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
Image:040775 2235conesclose.jpg, Close-up of possible mud volcanoes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image.
ESP 044665 2240cone.jpg, Possible mud volcano, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

Lava flows

WikiESP 035095 1975lavalobestharsis.jpg, Lava flow in Tharsis quadrangle, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
WikiESP 035095 1975lavalobestharsiswide.jpg, Close-up of lava flow with labels, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image of lava flows.
44828 2030lavaflow.jpg, Lava flows with older and younger flows labeled, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
ESP 044840 1620lavaflow.jpg, Edge of lava flow, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Solis Planum in Phoenicis Lacus quadrangle.

ESP 045133 1970lava.jpg, Wide view of streamlined shape and rafts of lava, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is Amazonis quadrangle.

45133 1970lvarafts.jpg, Close view of lava rafts from previous image, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

Linear Ridge Networks

Linear ridge networks are found in various places on Mars in and around craters. Ridges often appear as mostly straight segments that intersect in a lattice-like manner. They are hundreds of meters long, tens of meters high, and several meters wide. It is thought that impacts created fractures in the surface, these fractures later acted as channels for fluids. Fluids cemented the structures. With the passage of time, surrounding material was eroded away, thereby leaving hard ridges behind.
Since the ridges occur in locations with clay, these formations could serve as a marker for clay which requires water for its formation.

File:ESP 054850 1900ridges.jpg, Wide view of large ridge network, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

File:54850 1900ridges.jpg, Close view of ridge network, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Box shows size of football field.

File:54850 1900ridgesclosecolor.jpg, Close, color view of ridges, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

ESP 046269 1770ridges.jpg, Wide view of ridge networks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Parts of this are enlarged in next three images.
46269 1770ridgesclose.jpg, Close view of ridge networks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
46269 1770ridgesclose2.jpg, Close view of ridge networks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
46269 1770ridgesindepression.jpg, Close view of ridge networks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Since some ridges are at the bottom of the depression, the ridges may be from a lower layer.


ESP 048236 2105ridgeswide.jpg, Wide view of network of ridges, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Portions of this image are enlarged in following images. Location is the Casius quadrangle.

48236 2105ridges3.jpg, Close view of network of ridges, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program This is an enlargement of a previous image.

48236 2105ridges2.jpg, Close view of network of ridges, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program This is an enlargement of a previous image. Box shows the size of a football field.

48236 2105ridges.jpg, Close view of network of ridges, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program This is an enlargement of a previous image.

48236 2105ridgesmesa.jpg, Close view of ridges, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program This is an enlargement of a previous image. A small mesa in the image displays layers.

ESP 048236 2105ridgesclosecolor.jpg, Close, color view of network of ridges, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program This is an enlargement of a previous image.

Fractures forming blocks

In places large fractures break up surfaces. Sometimes straight edges are formed and large cubes are created by the fractures.

44757 2185wide.jpg, Wide view of mesas that are forming fractures, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is North Arabia Terra in Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
44757 2185zoom.jpg, Enlarged view of a part of previous image, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. The rectangle represents the size of a football field.
44757 2185closeleft.jpg, Close-up of blocks being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
44757 2185blocks.jpg, Close-up of blocks being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program The rectangle represents the size of a football field, so blocks are the size of buildings.
44757 2185cosefractures.jpg, Close-up of blocks being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Many long fractures are visible on the surface.
44757 2185edgebrains.jpg, Surface breaking up, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Near the top the surface is eroding into brain terrain.
ESP 045377 2170odd.jpg, Wide view showing light-toned feature that is breaking into blocks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
45377 2170blocks.jpg, Close view showing blocks being formed, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image. Box represents size of football field.

Volcanoes under ice

There is evidence that volcanoes sometimes erupt under ice, as they do on Earth at times. What seems to happen it that much ice melts, the water goes away, and then the surface cracks and collapses. These exhibit concentric fractures and large pieces of ground that seemed to have been pulled apart. Sites like this may have recently had held liquid water, hence they may be fruitful places to search for evidence of life.Levy, J., et al. 2017. Candidate volcanic and impact-induced ice depressions on Mars. Icarus: 285, 185–194.

Image:25755concentriccracks.jpg, Large group of concentric cracks, as seen by HiRISE, under HiWish program Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle. Cracks were formed by a volcano under ice.

25755 2200collapse.jpg, Tilted layers formed when ground collapsed, as seen by HiRISE, under HiWish program
25755 2200tiltedlayers.jpg, Tilted layers formed from ground collapse, as seen by HiRISE, under HiWish program.
25755 2200blocksforming.jpg, Mesas breaking up into blocks, as seen by HiRISE, under HiWish program.

Noctis Labyrinthus

Noctislabyrinthusviking1.jpg, Moasic of Viking 1 Orbiter pictures showing location of Noctus Labyrinthus

Noctis Labyrinthus Viking 1 1980.png, Noctis Labyrinthus, as seen by Viking 1

49297 1715ctxcontext.jpg, Part of Noctis Labyrinthus as seen by CTX Box shows the area covered by the following HiRISE image
ESP 049297 1715layersnoctis.jpg, North and south walls of part of Noctis Labyrinthus, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

49297 1715layerswidenorth.jpg, Wide view of north wall of part of Noctis Labyrinthus, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

49297 1715layersclosenorth.jpg, Close view of north wall of part of Noctis Labyrinthus, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

49297 1715layerssouth.jpg, Close view of south wall of part of Noctis Labyrinthus, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

Defrosting

In the spring, various shapes appear because frost is disappearing from the surface, exposing the underling dark soil. Also, in some places dust is blown out of in geyser-like eruptions that are sometimes called "spiders." If a wind is blowing, the material creates a long, dark streak or fan.

During the winter, much frost accumulates. It freezes out directly onto the surface of the permanent polar cap, which is made of water ice covered with layers of dust and sand. The deposit begins as a layer of dusty frost. Over the winter, it recrystallizes and becomes denser. The dust and sand particles caught in the frost slowly sink. By the time temperatures rise in the spring, the frost layer has become a slab of semi-transparent ice about 3 feet thick, lying on a substrate of dark sand and dust. This dark material absorbs light and causes the ice to sublimate (turn directly into a gas). Eventually much gas accumulates and becomes pressurized. When it finds a weak spot, the gas escapes and blows out the dust. Speeds can reach 100 miles per hour.Gas jets spawn dark 'spiders' and spots on Mars icecap , Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS
/ref> Dark channels can sometimes be seen; they are called "spiders." The surface appears covered with dark spots when this process is occurring.

Many ideas have been advanced to explain these features. These features can be seen in some of the pictures below.

Wikispiders.jpg, Spiders and frost in polygons during northern spring, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.
Wikispidersclose.jpg, Close-up view of spider among polygons or patterned ground, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.

Wikispiderswind.jpg, Spiders shaped by the wind into streak or fans, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Polygon surface has frost in the troughs along the edges.
Wikispiderdefrostingdunes.jpg, Group of dunes with most of the frost gone, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Some ripples are visible.

Wikispiderduneschannel.jpg, Close-up of defrosting dunes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Some ripples and a small channel are also visible.

ESP 043821 2555dryice.jpg, Defrosting dunes and ice in troughs of polygons, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
ESP 043821 2555dryicecolor.jpg, Color view of defrosting dunes and ice in troughs of polygons, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

43821 2555defrostingdune.jpg, Defrosting surface, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Frost is disappearing in patches from a dune. The trough boundaries around the polygon shapes still contain frost; hence they are white. Note: the north side (side near top) has not defrosted because the sun is coming from the other side.

ESP 047609 0985spiders.jpg, Wide view of plumes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Many of the plumes show spiders when enlarged.
47609 0985plumes.jpg, Plumes, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Arrow shows a double plume. This may have been because of shifting winds.

47609 0985spiderlong.jpg, Long plume, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
47609 0985spiderlongclose.jpg, Spiders, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

47609 0985spiders.jpg, Plumes and spiders, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

47609 0985spidersclose.jpg, Plumes and spiders, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

47609 0985spidersdark.jpg, Plumes and spiders, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

47609 0985spiderswide.jpg, Wide view of plumes and spiders, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

47609 0985spidersdarkclose.jpg, Plumes and spiders, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

See also

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References

Recommended reading

*Lorenz, R. 2014. The Dune Whisperers. The Planetary Report: 34, 1, 8–14
*Lorenz, R., J. Zimbelman. 2014. Dune Worlds: How Windblown Sand Shapes Planetary Landscapes. Springer Praxis Books / Geophysical Sciences.
* Grotzinger, J. and R. Milliken (eds.). 2012. Sedimentary Geology of Mars. SEPM.

External links

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{{Mars

Surface features of Mars