HiRISE | The Mineralogical Variability of Aram Chaos (ESP_085467

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

The Mineralogical Variability of Aram Chaos
ESP_085467_1840 Science Theme:

Aram Chaos is located within a confined 280-kilometer diameter Noachian-aged crater that at some time filled with water. Much of the chaos terrain within Aram is characterized by plateaus and mesas separated by valleys with varying degree of sizes.

After the chaos terrain formed, light-toned sulfates were deposited. Sulfates are a common mineral identified from both orbital and rover data of Mars and can vary in their mineralogy and hydration state. Three different types of sulfates have been identified in Aram Chaos, indicating a complex and evolving aqeuous history.

By studying the distribution and stratigraphy of the different types of sulfates, scientists can explore what most likely explains their formation, as well as how that geologic timing constrains the broader Martian climate evolution when they formed.

Written by: Cathy Weitz (22 January 2025)

This is a stereo pair with PSP_006953_1840.

Acquisition date
19 October 2024

Local Mars time
14:27

Latitude (centered)
3.918°

Longitude (East)
339.501°

Spacecraft altitude
273.2 km (169.8 miles)

Original image scale range
from 28.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 56.7 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning)

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
16.0°

Phase angle
22.2°

Solar incidence angle
38°, with the Sun about 52° above the horizon

Solar longitude
348.1°, Northern Winter

For non-map projected images
North azimuth: 96°
Sub-solar azimuth: 352.2°

JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (440MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (201MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected (190MB)
non-map           (303MB)

IRB color
map projected (73MB)
non-map           (174MB)

Merged IRB
map projected (135MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected (125MB)

RGB color
non map           (232MB)

ANAGLYPHS
Map-projected, reduced-resolution
Full resolution JP2 download
Anaglyph details page

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.