Perspective view of Nili Fossae and the surrounding upland
Perspective view of Nili Fossae and the surrounding upland
Nili Fossae is not only of interest for Mars research because of its diverse mineralogy. In the course of the geographical development of the planet, the minerals in the rock that was originally here have been repeatedly converted by the effects of water that flowed across the surface and circulated through fissures and crevices in the rocky crust – presumably as a result of volcanic heating. The image shows a view of the plateau with one arm of Nili Fossae in the background. Large parts of the surrounding upland are covered in dark, almost black deposits. These are thought to be volcanic ash or residues of eroded volocanic rock that have been moved by the wind.
Copyright note:
As a joint undertaking by DLR, ESA and FU Berlin, the Mars Express HRSC images are published under a Creative Commons licence since December 2014: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. This licence will also apply to all HRSC images released to date.