Saturday, August 31, 2013

Lava Flow in an Impact Crater in Tartarus Montes


In this image, we can see a small notch in a crater rim with a well-formed channel. Lava appears to have flowed through this notch and filled in this approximately 10-kilometer (6-mile) diameter crater.

Obtaining another image of the same area at a different angle (what we then call a "stereo pair") can help us see this terrain in three dimensions and answer some questions about what happened here, e.g., is the high-lava mark consistent with the lava overtopping the exterior? Did the crater fill to the level of the lava outside?

This is a stereo pair with ESP_028637_2040.

Photo credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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