Olympica Fossae

The linear channel in the bottom half of this VIS image is part of Olympica Fossae. Olympica Fossae is a complex channel form located on the Tharsis plains between Alba Mons and Olympus Mons. It was most likely created by volcanic flows, but was probably also affected by the formation of graben in the region. Graben are formed by the down-drop of material between paired faults. The collapse of the Alba Mons volcano resulted in a huge region of graben.

Orbit Number: 71495 Latitude: 22.7947 Longitude: 242.683 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2018-01-26 01:24

Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.