This ESA Mars Express image shows part of a large system of Mars faults known as Tantalus Fossae. This image includes data collected from the Mars Express Stereo Camera (HRSC) on July 19, 2021. It was created using data from the superficial channel, the field of view aligned perpendicular to the surface of Mars, and the color channels of HRSC. This is a “true color” image that reflects what would be seen by the human eye if we looked at this region of Mars. The resolution of the earth is approximately 18 m / pixel and the images are centered at about 43 ° N / 257 ° E. The north is on the right. Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
This network of long grooves and scratches is part of a giant system of faults on Mars, known as Tantalus Fossae, and is shown here, as seen by the Mars Express of the European Space Agency.
At first glance, it seems that these characteristics are the result of someone running their nails or nails on the surface of the Red Planet, digging long trenches in the process.
Although not as dramatic in its formation, Tantalus Fossae (“hole” means cavity or depression) is a notable feature of Mars. This system of troughs surrounds a scattered low-relief Martian volcano called Alba Mons, which runs along the eastern side of the volcano.
This image from ESA’s Mars Express shows part of Tantalus Fossae, a large system of faults found on Mars in a broader context. The area delineated by the bold white field shows the area depicted by the Mars Express stereo camera on July 19, 2021, in orbit 22173. Credit: NASA / MGS / MOLA Research Team
The pits are created when the top of Alba Mons rises in height, causing the surrounding surface to warp, expand and break. The Tantalus Fossae faults are a great example of a surface feature known as grab; each trench is formed by two parallel faults opening, which causes the rock between them to fall down into the resulting void.
This slanted perspective of Mars’ Tantalus Fossae is generated by the digital terrain model and nadir and color channels of ESA’s Mars Express stereo camera. Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
The same characteristics can be found on the western side of Alba Mons, forming an incomplete ring around the volcano. In general, the gorges associated with this volcano extend up to 1,000 km (620 miles) in length, up to 10 km (6.2 miles) wide, and 350 m (1,150 feet) deep.
A complicated story
In this image of the Mars Express, many grabbers can be seen moving approximately from the northeast (bottom right) to the southwest (top left).
These structures are thought to have formed not at the same time, but one after the other, giving scientists the opportunity to reconstruct a past timeline and picture of what created this dramatic landscape.
The large impact crater in the center of the image, for example, is intersected by ravines, indicating that it was already present before the volcano was erected to create the Tantalus Fossae Faults. The second largest impact crater (far smaller and in the lower left corner of the central crater) appears to overlap the faults and is therefore likely to be younger.
This slanted perspective of Mars’ Tantalus Fossae is generated by the digital terrain model and nadir and color channels of ESA’s Mars Express stereo camera. Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Upon closer inspection, very small, branched valleys can be seen in this region. These valleys seem to intersect directly with the ravines and are therefore thought to be older.
As can be seen most clearly in the connected topographic view, the northern (right) part contains much lower terrain than the southern (left) part – in places up to three kilometers lower altitude. We would expect all sorts of small, branching valleys to run along the slopes of Alba Mons and merge where the land is lowest, but this is not seen here, which suggests that the valleys must have originated in more ancient times – before Alba Mons to rise to sculpt this terrain in what we see today.
This color-coded topographic image of Tantalus Fossae was created from data collected by ESA’s Mars Express on July 19, 2021, during orbit 22173. It is based on a digital terrain model of the region from which the topography can be extracted. of the landscape. The lower parts of the surface are shown in blue and purple, while the regions with higher altitude are shown in white and red, as indicated on the scale in the upper right corner. The north is on the right. The resolution of the earth is approximately 18 m / pixel and the images are centered at about 43 ° N / 257 ° E. Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
This area is named after Tantalus, son of Zeus and Pluto (Pluto), who according to Greek legend betrayed the gods and was forced by Hades to stand in water under a fruit tree. When he tried to drink, the water receded, and when he tried to eat, the branches moved out of his reach, a punishment known as Tantalus’ torture.
Exploring Mars
The Mars Express has been orbiting the Red Planet since 2003, depicting the surface of Mars, mapping its minerals, identifying the composition and circulation of its weak atmosphere, probing under its crust, and studying how various phenomena interact in the Martian environment.
This stereoscopic image shows Tantalus Fossae on Mars and is generated from data captured by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) of the ESA Mars Express orbital spacecraft on July 19, 2021, during orbit 22173. Anaglyph derived from data , derived from the Nadir channel and one HRSC stereo channel, offers a three-dimensional view when viewed with red-green or red-blue glasses. Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
The mission’s high-resolution stereo camera (HRSC), responsible for these new images, has revealed much about Mars’ diverse surface features, with recent images showing everything from brain terrain and windswept ridges and canals to volcanoes, impact craters, tectonic faults. , river canals and ancient lava pools.
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