Erebus is a

crater Crater may refer to: Landforms *Impact crater, a depression caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet *Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an explosion near or below the surfac ...

lying situated within the

Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle The Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle is also referred to as MC-19 (Mars Chart-19) ...

(MC-19) region of the planet

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

, this extraterrestrial geological feature was visited by the ''Opportunity'' rover on the way to the much larger crater

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. It is named after the polar exploration vessel HMS ''Erebus'' which was used by

James Clark Ross Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and polar explorer known for his explorations of the Arctic, participating in two expeditions led by his uncle John Ross, and four led by William Edwa ...

in 1841 to discover the ''Great Ice Barrier'', now known as the

Ross Ice Shelf The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (, an area of roughly and about across: about the size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than long, and between hi ...

. The rover was in the immediate vicinity of the crater from approximately sol 550 to 750 (October 2005 to March 2006). This crater features two other minor named outcrops on the edges of this topographical depression. These include Payson Ridge and Olympia Ridge (see gallery below). Erebus is located roughly south of the much smaller crater

Vostok Vostok refers to east in Russian but may also refer to: Spaceflight * Vostok programme, Soviet human spaceflight project * Vostok (spacecraft), a type of spacecraft built by the Soviet Union * Vostok (rocket family), family of rockets derived from ...

, which was previously visited by ''Opportunity''. It is surrounded by what scientists are describing as "etched terrain", a region where rocks peek out from under the sand of

Meridiani Planum The Meridiani Planum (alternately Meridiani plain, Meridiani plains, Terra Meridiani, or Terra Meridiani plains) is either a large plain straddling the equator of Mars and covered with a vast number of spherules containing a lot of iron oxide or ...

. Erebus is about wide, twice as large as the crater

Endurance Endurance (also related to sufferance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from a ...

. However, it is very old and eroded, and is barely visible from the ground; it appears merely as a number of flat rocky outcrops encircling a region of

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s. File:Payson Ridge, Erebus Crater, Mars Opportunity Rover.jpg, An outcrop named "Payson", on the western edge of Erebus. Image:PIA03621-Opportunity Rover-Olympia Panorama.jpg, "Olympia" outcrop on northwestern margin of Erebus Image:Erebus 360 L257atc-B652R1.jpg, Color panorama taken by ''Opportunity'' on the rim of Erebus. The crater itself can be seen in the center of the pan, at the top.

External links and further reading

* *
Structure and Sedimentology of the Western Margin of Erebus Crater, Meridiani Planum, MarsErebrus and Victoria by Mars Express HRSC + SRC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erebus (Crater) Impact craters on Mars Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle

See also

External links and further reading