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41-555: Elysium Planitia , located in the Elysium and Aeolis quadrangles, is a broad plain that straddles the equator of Mars , centered at 3°00′N 154°42′E  /  3.0°N 154.7°E  / 3.0; 154.7 . It lies to the south of the volcanic province of Elysium , the second largest volcanic region on the planet, after Tharsis . Elysium contains the major volcanoes Elysium Mons , Albor Tholus and Hecates Tholus . Another more ancient shield volcano , Apollinaris Mons ,

82-486: A flat top and steep sides. Mesas often form from the erosion of a plateau . Mesas represent the remnants of a plateau, so they can show us what types of rocks covered a wide region. Medusae Fossae Formation The Medusae Fossae Formation is a large geological formation of probable volcanic origin on the planet Mars . It is named for the Medusa of Greek mythology. "Fossae" is Latin for "trenches". The formation

123-468: A graben that lies just to the west of Elysium Mons. Certain observations suggest that they may have been the location of lahars (mudflows). The graben may have formed because of volcanic dikes. Heat from the dikes would have melted a great deal of ice. Two valley systems, the Hephaestus Fossae and Hebrus Valles, have sections that join and branch at high angles. The Athabasca Valles are perhaps

164-469: A kilometer or so in length. Their height ranges from a meter to greater than 10 meters, while the width of the narrow ones is less than 10 meters. Comparisons of elemental composition suggest that the Medusae Fossae Formation has been a source of Mars' ubiquitous surface dust. In July 2018, researchers reported that it may be the largest single source of dust on the planet. The surface of

205-614: A place of reward (Heaven), according to Homer in the Odyssey . The Elysium quadrangle covers the area between 180° to 225° west longitude and 0° to 30° north latitude on Mars . The northern part of Elysium Planitia , a broad plain, is in this quadrangle. The Elysium quadrangle includes a part of Lucus Planum . A small part of the Medusae Fossae Formation lies in this quadrangle. The largest craters in this quadrangle are Eddie , Lockyer , and Tombaugh . The quadrangle contains

246-434: A rim with ejecta around them, in contrast volcanic craters usually do not have a rim or ejecta deposits. As craters get larger (greater than 10 km in diameter) they usually have a central peak. The peak is caused by a rebound of the crater floor following the impact. Sometimes craters will display layers. Since the collision that produces a crater is like a powerful explosion, rocks from deep underground are tossed unto

287-557: A variety of ways. Volcanoes, wind, or water can produce layers. Layers can be hardened by the action of groundwater. Martian ground water probably moved hundreds of kilometers, and in the process it dissolved many minerals from the rock it passed through. When ground water surfaces in low areas containing sediments, water evaporates in the thin atmosphere and leaves behind minerals as deposits and/or cementing agents. Consequently, layers of dust could not later easily erode away since they were cemented together. , The Elysium quadrangle

328-516: A volcanic rock, is thought comprise the layers that form boulders. Basalt has been identified on Mars in many places. Instruments on orbiting spacecraft have detected clay (also called phyllosilicates ) in some layers. Scientists are excited about finding hydrated minerals such as sulfates and clays on Mars because they are usually formed in the presence of water. Places that contain clays and/or other hydrated minerals would be good places to look for evidence of life. Rock can be formed into layers in

369-432: Is 1.765 ± 0.105 g/cm , similar to the density of terrestrial ignimbrites . This rules out significant amounts of ice in the bulk composition. In combination with the deposit's high content of sulfur and chlorine, it implies an explosive volcanic origin. The total volume of the deposit is 1.4 × 10 km ; such a large deposit might have been emplaced in periodic eruptions over an interval of 500 million years. In some places,

410-479: Is a collection of soft, easily eroded deposits that extends discontinuously for more than 5,000 km along the equator of Mars . Its roughly-shaped regions extend from just south of Olympus Mons to Apollinaris Patera , with a smaller additional region closer to Gale Crater . The total area of the formation is equal to 20% the size of the continental United States. It is divided into three subunits (members) that are all considered to be of Amazonian age,

451-525: Is from the metabolism of living bacteria . However, a recent study indicates that to match the observations of methane, there must be something that quickly destroys the gas, otherwise it would be spread all through the atmosphere instead of being concentrated in just a few locations. There may be something in the soil that oxidizes the gas before it has a chance to spread. If this is so, that same chemical would destroy organic compounds, thus life would be very difficult on Mars. Impact craters generally have

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492-477: Is home to large troughs (long narrow depressions) called fossae in the geographical language used for Mars. Troughs are created when the crust is stretched until it breaks. The stretching can be due to the large weight of a nearby volcano. Fossae/pit craters are common near volcanoes in the Tharsis and Elysium system of volcanoes. A trough often has two breaks with a middle section moving down, leaving steep cliffs along

533-681: Is situated just to the south of eastern Elysium Planitia. Within the plains, Cerberus Fossae is the only Mars location with recent volcanic eruptions. Lava flows dated no older than 0.2 million years from the present have been found, and evidence has been found that volcanic activity may have occurred as recently as 53,000 years ago. Such activity could have provided the environment, in terms of energy and chemicals, needed to support life forms . The largest craters in Elysium Planitia are Eddie , Lockyer , and Tombaugh . The planitia also has river valleys—one of which, Athabasca Valles may be one of

574-628: Is the fact that the area gives almost no radar return. The lower portion (member) of Medusae Fossae Formation contains many patterns and shapes that are thought to be the remains of streams. It is believed that streams formed valleys that were filled and became resistant to erosion by cementation of minerals or by the gathering of a coarse covering layer to form an inverted relief . These inverted stream beds are sometimes called sinuous ridges or raised curvilinear features. They have been divided into six classes: flat-crested, narrow-crested, round-crested, branching, non-branching, and multilevel. They may be

615-594: The Cerberus Fossae , the Elysium Fossae and other troughs, as seen by HiRISE are examples of fossae. Knowledge of the locations and formation mechanisms of pit craters and fossae is important for the future colonization of Mars because they may be reservoirs of water. Methane has been detected in three areas on Mars, one of which is in the Elysium quadrangle. This is exciting because one possible source of methane

656-609: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced that the landing site had been selected. It is located in western Elysium Planitia at 4°30′N 135°54′E  /  4.5°N 135.9°E  / 4.5; 135.9  ( InSight landing site ) . The landing site is about 600 km (370 mi) north from where the Curiosity rover is operating in Gale Crater . Elysium quadrangle The name Elysium refers to

697-610: The North Sea . The ice is thought to be the remains of water floods from the Cerberus Fossae fissures about 2 to 10 million years ago. The surface of the area is broken into 'plates' like broken ice floating on a lake (see below ). Impact crater counts show that the plates are up to 1 million years older than the gap material, showing that the area solidified much too slowly for the material to be basaltic lava. NASA's InSight mission landed in Elysium Planitia on 26 November 2018. It took off from Earth on 5 May 2018. The probe will study

738-447: The volcanoes Elysium Mons and Albor Tholus. David Susko and his colleagues at Louisiana State University analyzed geochemical and surface morphology data from Elysium using instruments on board NASA's Mars Odyssey Orbiter (2001) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (2006). Through crater counting, they found differences in age between the northwest and the southeast regions of Elysium—about 850 million years of difference. They also found that

779-441: The Elysium quadrangle are geological young and have surfaces that are hard to explain. Some have called them Platy-Ridged-Polygonized terrain. The surface has been suggested to be from pack ice, basalt lava, or a muddy flow. Using HiRISE images the heights of the ridges of the surface were measured. Most were less than 2 meters. This is far smaller than what is expected from lava flows. The high resolution photos demonstrated that

820-475: The crack or fault sometimes widens or dilates. This widening causes a void to form with a relatively high volume. When material slides into the void, a pit crater or a pit crater chain forms. On Mars, individual pit craters can join to form chains or even to form troughs that are sometimes scalloped. Other ideas have been suggested for the formation of fossae and pit craters. There is evidence that they are associated with dikes of magma. Magma might move along, under

861-536: The first to go in the early eruptions. We are seeing changes in the mantle chemistry over time." "Long-lived volcanic systems with changing magma compositions are common on Earth, but an emerging story on Mars," said James Wray, study co-author and associate professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech. Overall, these findings indicate that Mars is a much more geologically complex body than originally thought, perhaps due to various loading effects on

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902-456: The formation appears as a smooth and gently undulating surface, while in others it is wind-sculpted into ridges and grooves. Radar imaging has suggested that the region may contain either extremely porous rock (for example volcanic ash) or deep layers of glacier-like ice deposits amounting to about the same quantity as is stored in Mars' south polar cap. Further evidence for a fine-grained composition

943-597: The formation could have been formed from pumice rafts from the volcano Olympus Mons . In 2012, a group headed by Laura Kerber hypothesized that it could have been formed from ash from the volcanoes Apollinaris Mons , Arsia Mons , and possibly Pavonis Mons . An analysis of data from the Mars Odyssey Neutron Spectrometer revealed that the western lobe of the Medusae Fossae Formation contains some water. This means that this formation contains bulk water ice. During periods of high obliquity (tilt) water ice

984-547: The formation has been eroded by the wind into a series of linear ridges called yardangs . These ridges generally point in direction of the prevailing winds that carved them, and demonstrate the erosive power of Martian winds. The easily eroded nature of the Medusae Fossae Formation suggests that it is composed of weakly cemented particles, and was most likely formed by the deposition of wind-blown dust or volcanic ash . Yardangs are parts of rock that have been sand blasted into long, skinny ridges by bouncing sand particles blowing in

1025-421: The internal structure of Mars and by so doing improve understanding of the planet's evolution. InSight Mars lander was able to take color pictures from the surface Elysium Planitia and sent them by radio signal back to Earth. During the descent sequence two additional items were jettisoned, the backshell with parachute, and heat shield, and they impacted in the vicinity of the lander. In March 2017, scientists from

1066-470: The layers are of different colors. Light-toned rocks on Mars have been associated with hydrated minerals like sulfates . The Mars rover Opportunity examined such layers close-up with several instruments. Pictures taken from orbiting spacecraft show that some layers of rocks seem to break up into fine dust; consequently these rocks are probably composed of small particles. Other layers break up into large boulders, so they are probably much harder. Basalt ,

1107-556: The major volcanoes Elysium Mons and Albor Tholus , part of a volcanic province of the same name, as well as river valleys—one of which, Athabasca Valles may be one of the youngest on Mars. On the east side is an elongated depression called Orcus Patera . A large lake may once have existed in the south near Lethe Vallis and Athabasca Valles . The InSight lander touched down in the southern part of this quadrangle in 2018 to conduct geophysical studies. The Elysium quadrangle contains

1148-429: The mantle caused by the weight of giant volcanoes. For decades, we saw Mars, as a lifeless rock, full of craters with a number of long inactive volcanoes. We had a very simple view of the red planet. Finding a variety of igneous rocks demonstrates that Mars has the potential for useful resource utilization and a capacity to sustain a human population on Mars. "It's much easier to survive on a complex planetary body bearing

1189-587: The material seemed to flow which would not occur with pack ice. So, the researchers concluded that muddy flows cover the surface. So-called " rootless cones " are caused by explosions of lava with ground ice under the flow. The ice melts and turns into a vapor that expands in an explosion that produces a cone or ring. Features like these are found in Iceland, when lavas cover water-saturated substrates. The Elysium Fossae contain layers, also called strata. Many places on Mars show rocks arranged in layers. Sometimes

1230-406: The mineral products of complex geology than on a simpler body like the moon or asteroids." Much of the area near the volcanoes is covered with lava flows, some can even be shown approaching, then stopping upon reaching higher ground. (See pictures below for examples) Sometimes when lava flows the top cools quickly into a solid crust. However, the lava below often still flows, this action breaks up

1271-438: The sides; such a trough is called a graben. Lake George , in northern New York State , is a lake that sits in a graben. Pits are produced when material collapses into the void that results from the stretching. Pit craters do not have rims or ejecta around them, like impact craters do. Studies have found that on Mars a fault may be as deep as 5 km (3.1 mi); that is, the break in the rock goes down to 5 km. Moreover,

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1312-715: The start of these channels (at one of the Cerberus Fossae), the system is called the Athabasca Valles; to the south and east it is called Marte Vallis. Flow rates in Marte Vallis have been estimated at around 100 times that of the Mississippi River. Eventually, the system just seems to fade out in the plains of Amazonis Planitia. Some places on Mars break up with large fractures that created a terrain with mesas and valleys. Some of these can be quite pretty. Mesas have

1353-464: The surface, breaking the rock, and more importantly melting ice. The resulting action would cause a crack to form at the surface. Pit craters are not common on Earth. Sinkholes , where the ground falls into a hole (sometimes in the middle of a town) resemble pit craters on Mars. However, on the Earth these holes are caused by subsurface limestone being dissolved, thereby causing a void. The images below of

1394-526: The surface. Hence, craters can show us what lies deep under the surface. Research published in the journal Icarus has found pits in Zunil Crater that are caused by hot ejecta falling on ground containing ice. The pits are formed by heat forming steam that rushes out from groups of pits simultaneously, thereby blowing away from the pit ejecta. Some of the valleys in the Elysium quadrangle seem to start from grabens. Granicus Vallis and Tinjar Vallis begin at

1435-562: The top layer making it very rough. Such rough flow is called aa. Research, published in January 2010, described the discovery of a vast single lava flow, the size of the state of Oregon , that "was put in place turbulently over the span of several weeks at most." This flow, near Athabasca Valles , is the youngest lava flow on Mars. It is thought to be of Late Amazonian Age . Other researchers disagree with this idea. Under Martian conditions lava should not stay fluid very long. Some areas in

1476-467: The wind. Layers are seen in parts of the formation. A resistant caprock on the top of yardangs has been observed in Viking, Mars Global Surveyor , and HiRISE photos. Images from spacecraft show that they have different degrees of hardness probably because of significant variations in the physical properties, composition, particle size, and/or cementation . Very few impact craters are visible throughout

1517-603: The younger southeast regions are geochemically different from the older regions, and that these differences related to igneous processes, not secondary processes like the interaction of water or ice with the surface of Elysium in the past. "We determined that while there might have been water in this area in the past, the geochemical properties in the top meter throughout this volcanic province are indicative of igneous processes," Susko said. "We think levels of thorium and potassium here were depleted over time because of volcanic eruptions over billions of years. The radioactive elements were

1558-482: The youngest era in martian geological history. The formation straddles the highland - lowland boundary near the Tharsis and Elysium volcanic areas, and extends across five quadrangles: Amazonis , Tharsis , Memnonia , Elysium , and Aeolis . The origin of the formation is unknown, but many theories have been presented over the years. In 2020, a group of researchers headed by Peter Mouginis-Mark has hypothesized that

1599-529: The youngest on Mars. On the north east side is an elongated depression called Orcus Patera , and this and some of the eastern plains were imaged in the 1965 Mariner 4 flyby. A 2005 photo of a locale in Elysium Planitia at 5°N, 150°E by the Mars Express spacecraft shows what may be ash-covered water ice. The volume of ice is estimated to be 800 km (500 mi) by 900 km (560 mi) in size and 45 m (148 ft) deep, similar in size and depth to

1640-460: The youngest outflow channel system on Mars. They lie 620 miles southeast of the large volcano Elysium Mons . Athabasca was formed by water that burst out of the Cerberus Fossae , a set of cracks or fissures in the ground. The Cerberus Fossae most likely were formed from the stress on the crust caused by the weight of both Elysium Mons and the Tharsis volcanoes. Current evidence suggests that Cerberus floods probably erupted in several stages. Near

1681-508: Was stable on the surface. By means of a re-analysis of data from Mars Express ' MARSIS radar, Thomas Watters found evidence about the existence of large underground water deposits in Medusae Fossae up to 3.7 km thick and covered by hundreds of meters of dust. Combining several gravity models of Mars with the MOLA topographic dataset allowed calculation of the density of the deposit; the value

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