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Martian Lava Flows

Oct. 19, 2005
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows lava flows at the southeast base of the giant volcano, Olympus Mons on Mars. The flat plain in the south-southeast portion of the image is younger than and cuts off the ends of many of the lava flows.

19 October 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows lava flows at the southeast base of the giant volcano, Olympus Mons. The flat plain in the south-southeast (bottom/lower right) portion of the image is younger than and cuts off the ends of many of the lava flows that came from the northwest (upper left). Many of the lava flows in this image exhibit channels with levees bounding their margins. As each lava flow was advancing, its outer margins cooled and hardened, forming a channel or tube through which the molten rock continued to advance.

Location near: 17.2°N, 129.0°W
Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: lower left
Season: Northern Winter

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