Steep Cliffs on Mars
Explanation:
Vertical cliffs of nearly two kilometers
occur near the North Pole of Mars.
Also visible in the
above image of the Martian
North Polar Cap
are red areas of rock and sand, white areas of ice, and dark areas
of unknown composition but hypothesized to be
volcanic ash.
The cliffs are thought to border volcanic
caldera.
Although the sheer
drop
of the Martian cliffs is extreme,
the drop is not as deep as other areas in our
Solar System,
including the 3.4-kilometer depth of
Colca
Canyon
on Earth and the 20 kilometer depth of
Verona Rupes
on Uranus' moon
Miranda.
The
above image, digitally reconstructed into a
perspective view, was taken by the
High Resolution Stereo Camera on board the
ESA's robotic
Mars Express spacecraft
currently orbiting
Mars.
Check out:
Venus and Saturn in tonight's evening sky.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
