The Topography of Mars
Explanation:
Mars has its ups and downs.
Visible on the
above interactive topographic map of the surface of
Mars are
giant volcanoes,
deep valleys,
impact craters, and
terrain considered unusual
and even
mysterious.
Particularly notable are the volcanoes of the
Tharsis province,
visible on the left in (false-color) red and white,
which are taller than any
mountains on Earth.
Just to the left of center is
Valles Marineris,
a canyon much longer and deeper than
Earth's Grand Canyon.
On the right in blue is the
Hellas Planitia, a basin over
2000 kilometers wide that was likely
created by a collision with an
asteroid.
Mars has many smooth lowlands in the
north,
and many rough highlands in the
south.
This map was created by the
Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on board the robot
Mars Global Surveyor currently orbiting
Mars.
MOLA measures heights on
Mars by precisely
determining the time it takes for a low power
laser beam to
bounce off the surface.
Zoom in by clicking anywhere on the
above map.
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.
