BEAUTIFUL MARS

Images and posts from HiRISE, the high resolution camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO, NASA). We are based at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. Enhanced color pictures are 1 km across; black and white are less than 5 km. Visit our site: uahirise.org

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HiPOD: Deposits and Flows in Terra Sirenum

With this image, we are observing how surface flow patterns in the area vary with distance from the proposed parent crater. This is one of several flow feature observations being suggested in the vicinity of the well-preserved crater to the east of this footprint, which itself at the northwestern edge of larger, in-filled crater.

Grayscale cutouts are less than 5 km across. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_077165_1440 date: 12 January 2023 altitude: 249 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: The Layered Mesa

The objective of this observation is to examine a layered mesa within a small impact crater. The layers are horizontal, and well-defined. These features are fairly common in this region of the Martian Northern plains, while these layers are more distinct than many others. 

Grayscale cutout is less than 5 km across; enhanced color cutout is less than 1 km. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_077117_2195 date: 8 January 2023  altitude: 296 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: Split Ridge, Small Crater

Also visible in Context Camera image data, the objective of this observation is to determine the nature of a relatively large split ridge in a small impact crater. The footprint of this observation is in Terra Cimmeria, a vast, densely cratered highland region in the Southern Hemisphere of Mars, stretching approximately 5,400 kilometers (3,400 miles) at its broadest extent.

Image cutout is less than 5 km across. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_077155_1375 date: 11 January 2023 altitude: 250 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: A Channel and Crater in Terra Sirenum

The objective of this observation is to examine a channel that eroded through both sides of a small impact crater. The channel seems to be in the middle of a larger valley. Terra Sirenum is a vast, heavily cratered upland region in Mars’ Southern Hemisphere, stretching roughly 3,900 kilometers across.

Grayscale cutout is less than 5 km across; enhanced color cutout is less than 1 km. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_077138_1415 date: 9 January 2023 altitude: 251 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: Inverted Terrain near Granicus Valles

The objective of this observation is to examine possible inverted terrain. The image shows a curved ridge and a group of short ridges that makes a pattern resembling a branching stream drainage. Granicus Valles is located just west of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex and was likely formed by the flow of lava rather than water.

Grayscale cutout is less than 5 km across; enhanced color is less than 1 km. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_077141_2095 date: 10 January 2023 altitude: 291 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: An Eroded Step Massif in Cydonia Mensae

From HiWish: “Looking along the images of this entire area, I’m struck by how much these stepped massifs look as though they may have been islands in a shallow sea. I’ll be scanning and requesting images for what I suspect to be a former coastline and looking at these massifs for further clues. There is not much HiRISE coverage of this area, and it’s pretty large and covered with features like this.”

Grayscale cutouts are less than 5 km across. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_077133_2165 date: 9 January 2023 altitude: 297 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: Layers in Noctis Labyrinthus

The objective of this observation is to examine layers in Noctis Labyrinthus. These layers are located along a narrow canyon. Noctis Labyrinthus is part of a complex feature whose origin lies in the swelling of the crust owing to tectonic and volcanic activity in the Tharsis region, home to Olympus Mons and other large volcanoes.

Enhanced color cutout is less than 1 km across; grayscale is less than 5 km. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_077110_1765 date: 7 January 2023 altitude: 257 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: Circular Mystery

This image features an interesting circular outcrop of rock that appears dark in infrared but in Context Camera data, appears to be a much rougher terrain surrounding a knob. It is possible this is the remnant of an ancient cinder cone and surrounding lava field. The area might be on a postulated shield volcano with its caldera to the north. Or is it a deposit of minerals from fumaroles similar to those found near Home Plate that the Spirit rover explored?

Grayscale cutout is less than 5 km across; enhanced color is less than 1 km. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_077125_1525 date: 8 January 2023 altitude: 254 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_077125_1525 NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: The Richness of Layers

This stunning image features dozens of layers in the walls of a graben on the flanks of Arsia Mons. These layers could be yet unmapped volcanic units (lavas or ash deposits) and their identification can lead to a greater understanding of the history of this volcanic terrain. Material from this wall likely mantled the ice-rich deposits on the graben floor, and a 3D model can also characterize erosion patterns on the wall.

Enhanced color cutout is less than 1 km across; grayscale is less than 5 km. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_077124_1725 date: 8 January 2023 altitude: 256 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona #Mars #science #NASA

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HiPOD: Lava in Kasei Valles

Lava entered this cataract from the west and flowed for some distance, but the flow terminates before joining the main south Kasei lava flow. Does the flow shows signs of significant deflation (i.e., does it drape topography?). If there was a high but short peak flux here, the flow could have deflated significantly as the pulse went down the channel. A lack of deflation would suggest a lower but maybe steadier flux.

Grayscale cutout is less than 5 km across; enhanced color cutout is less than 1 km. For full image including scale bar, visit the source link.

ID: ESP_077122_2025 date: 8 January 2023 altitude: 283 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: Hills on Northern Plains

This striking image highlights a weird-looking hill with surrounding arcuate structures. Could this formation be mud volcano related? This one looks more prominent than the one in an image we acquired in 2017, which is also weird.

ID: ESP_077106_2235 date: 7 January 2023 altitude: 302 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: Young Lava Flows of Elysium Mons

The team at NASA ARC is working on a project called HiRISE Image Analysis, aimed at selecting potential future landing sites for a robotic mission. This area shows a thermal anomaly in THEMIS data, indicating a potential cave entrance or simply a depression with high thermal inertia. The area of interest is located on young lava flows in Elysium, which provides new insights into recent volcanic activity and could be a potential site for astrobiology studies, as well as a natural habitat for a future Mars base.

ID: ESP_092989_1960 date: 29 May 2026 altitude: 282 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: Get into the (Flood) Groove

In this observation within the Kasei Valles outflow channel, a distinct flood eroded surface is marked by a series of linear ridges and grooves, which are also present on an infilled impact crater. We want to know what exactly these ridges/grooves are, how they formed, and their relation to nearby fans.

ID: ESP_092958_2035 date: 26 May 2026 altitude: 283 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: The Ripple Effect

The objective of this observation is to examine layered mesas. They may have been inside of craters that have since eroded away, creating this ripple effect on the surface. This footprint is located near Hrad Vallis, which originates on the northwest margin of the Elysium Volcanic complex and flows into Utopia Planitia. Hrad Vallis is 825 kilometers (513 miles) long.

ID: ESP_077101_2175 date: 7 January 2023 altitude: 298 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: The Remnants of Deposits

In this observation, within the Shalbatana Vallis outflow channel, there appears to be relict fan-shaped deposits towards the top of the channel wall. These surfaces appear perched on top of a mesa-like-feature suggesting erosion of their margins. Surrounding this feature are younger deposits and areas of chaotic terrain. This image can help to evaluate their stratigraphic relationships to the younger fans and the chaotic terrain/wider channel formation.

ID: ESP_092944_1805 date: 25 May 2026 altitude: 269 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona #Mars #science #NASA

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HiPOD: Smooth Sands in the Canyon of Youth

Juventae Chasma, just north of Valles Marineris, is notable for several reasons: it is an otherworldly size-box canyon, and shares a name with the mythological Fountain of Youth.

This image, from Juventae Chasma’s southern extent, captures the extraordinary visual softness of the sand on the bottom of the canyon. Unlike other places in Juventae Chasma where ripples and more bedrock landforms are visible, in this scene we can identify peaks arising from a base of smooth materials. Rather than the sand being grouped in well-behaved, Star-Trek-communicator-badge-shaped barchan dunes, the sand blankets the full surface below the two peaks captured here. The source of this sand is linked to the chasma’s complex geologic history, which likely includes a combination of icy, watery, and windy processes.

ID: ESP_092391_1755 date: 12 April 2026 altitude: 269 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

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HiPOD: Eroding Ice-Rich Deposits in Two Craters in Arabia Terra

This image shows two craters in the Arabia Terra region with interesting texture patterns on their floors. These textures are indicative of the presence of ice-rich materials, likely having been deposited from the atmosphere during periods of high obliquity (tilt) millions of years ago, when ice from the poles was mobilized and redeposited in the mid-latitudes.

The ice is gradually eroding away, leading to the interesting patterns displayed in the southern crater in the image. Although uncommon in shape, these erosional patterns are not inconsistent with ice sublimation as their formation mechanism. In the northern crater, ejecta deposits from the crater impacted on its western rim have intermingled with the floor deposits, leading to interesting textures there as well, indicating different types of geologic materials being introduced from the subsurface.

ID: ESP_092480_2160 date: 19 April 2026 altitude: 294 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona