Mars Photo of the Day - May 15 2012

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Today's Image of Mars shows the Tharsis Trio (Arsia, Pavonis, and Ascraeus Mons) and Olympus Mons off to the Northwest. This image is very similar to one previously showcased by Mars Travel from the European Space Agency's Mars Express.

The Tharsis Trio are aligned in almost a perfect line pointing Northeast. Scientists speculate that all these volcanoes formed from a larger fracture/vent system that caused the three initial eruptions that created the Tharsis Trio. In other images you can see the vents pointing Northeast from Arsia Mons toward Pavonis and Ascraeus Mons, which lend credence to this theory. 

As far as I can tell this image was taken by Mars Odyssey Orbiter's THEMIS (please correct me if I'm wrong) Click on this image to see the original high resolution image.

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Mars Photo of the Day - May 1 2012

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Today's Image of Mars shows how the Tharsis Trio (Arsia, Pavonis, and Ascraeus Mons) pale in comparison to Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the solar system. Of the Tharsis trio, Arsia Mons is the oldest and Ascraeus Mons is the youngest.

The Tharsis Quadrangle is full of volcanoes and is thought to have been volcanically active as recently as 100-250 million years ago, which is relatively recent in geological terms. It is thought that at one time the abundance of volcanoes in this region had an enormous impact on the climate of Mars.

Scientists have determined that the amount of carbon dioxide and water vapor released into the air by all the discovered Tharsis volcanoes would have been enough to create an atmosphere thicker than that currently on Earth. If this is the case the environment on Mars could have been completely different than what we see in images today.

Click on this image to see all images of Tharsis volcanoes showcased by Mars Travel. [See the Mars Express article with this image]

Credit: ESA/Mars Express

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Mars Photo of the Day - Mar 18 2012

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Today's Image of Mars comes from THEMIS and shows a filled crater in the Tharsis Quadrangle. The only indication that this had once been a crater is what remains of the rim.

Before a crater becomes filled like one below the lava must break through the raised rim by pushing through gaps or weaknesses. Once it does this the lava pours into the crater, widening the gap in the rim and filling the crater. 

Clicking on the image will take you to the original high resolution version from THEMIS. 

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Mars Photo of the Day - Mar 14 2012

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Today's Image of Mars is an amazing shot from Mars Express of Ceraunius Tholus (left) and Uranius Tholus (right). Ceraunius Tholus is 130km in diameter and 5.5km high, while Uranius Tholus has a diameter of 62km and a height of 4.5km.

Both Ceraunius and Uranius Tholus are located in the Tharsis Quadrangle of Mars, which was once a hotbed for volcanic activity on Mars. Clicking on this image will take you to the high resolution version. [See another image of Ceraunius Tholus and Uranius Tholus showcased by Mars Travel]

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Mars Photo of the Day - Mar 5 2012

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Today's Image of Mars shows a segment of Olympica Fossae, as taken by HiRISE.

Olympica Fossae is a 420km long set of troughs, or fossae, in the Tharsis Quadrangle on Mars. Fossae are created when the crust stretches and fractures along two parallel faults. When this happens the area between the two faults sinks down and forms a trough.

Scientists speculate that at one point in the Martian past the troughs of Olympica Fossae served as outflow channels, redirecting floods of water, while at another point they served as channels for lava. This is possible because Mars has experienced many different climates over the past few billion years.

Because HiRISE has yet to caption this image, clicking on it will take you to a map of Tharsis Quadrangle showcased by Mars Travel.

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Mars Photo of the Day - Dec 3 2011

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Today's Image of Mars is actually a map of the Tharsis Quadrangle, which covers the area from 90° to 135° west longitude and 0° to 30° north latitude on Mars. Tharsis Quadrangle is home to numerous large volcanoes, including the largest in our solar system, Olympus Mons.

It is thought that at one time the volcanoes in Tharsis Quadrangle had a large impact on the Martian climate. A large amount of carbon dioxide and water vapor was released into the air from the volcanoes in the Tharsis Quadrangle. Estimates show the amount of gas emitted by the volcanoes in the Tharsis Quadrangle would have been enough to produce an atmosphere thicker than Earth's. Additionally, the water vapor released from these volcanoes would have been enough to cover all of Mars in 120 meters of water. The volcanoes in Tharsis Quadrangle lead many experts to believe that Mars once had an atmosphere thicker than Earth's and that it was once a warm and wet planet.

This Tharsis Quadrangle map is one of 30 quadrangle maps used by United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program to catalogue Mars. Clicking on this image will take you to a list of maps produced by the USGS for Mars. From there you can open many of the maps of Mars produced by the USGS.

USGS Astrogeology Research Program

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