Hephaestus Fossae

This VIS image is located in the northern portion of Hephaestus Fossae. Hephaestus Fossae is a complex channel system in Utopia Planitia near Elysium Mons. It has been proposed that the channels formed by the release of melted subsurface ice during the impact event that created a large crater southeast of this image. Additionally, the nearby Elysium volcanic center created subsurface heating that may have played a part in creating both Hephaestus Fossae and Hebrus Valles to the north. The right angle intersections indicate there is some tectonic activity in the region, and the circular depressions indicate surface collapse into subsurface voids. Hephaestus Fossae is a very complex set of features.

Orbit Number: 88019 Latitude: 21.1587 Longitude: 122.646 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2021-10-17 19:02

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.