End of Lethe Vallis
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
End of Lethe Vallis
PSP_004072_1845  Science Theme: Volcanic Processes
This image shows the funnel-shaped terminus of Lethe Vallis, a winding channel in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars.

Lethe Vallis flows from southwest to northeast between two basins, Cerberus Palus and eastern Elysium Plantia. Where it empties into the latter, the channel abruptly widens. On the west side of this HiRISE image, Lethe Vallis is approximately 800 meters wide; on the east side, it is more than 7 kilometers in width. As the fluid that carved the channel spread out, its erosive power diminished. Thus, where the channel is wider, it contains numerous high-standing mesas that are primarily composed of pre-existing material that was not fully eroded away.

The floor of Lethe Vallis is covered in solidified lava and blanketed by a thin layer of light-toned dust. The lava has a rough, ridged appearance where its surface buckled as it cooled, and a smoother polygonal texture where it was not significantly deformed. Interestingly, lava textures are visible high on the banks and terraces of the Lethe Vallis. Farther away from the channel, the terrain is older and more heavily cratered.



Written by: W. L. Jaeger  (20 June 2007)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_021530_1845.
 
Acquisition date
09 June 2007

Local Mars time
15:01

Latitude (centered)
4.469°

Longitude (East)
155.974°

Spacecraft altitude
273.8 km (170.2 miles)

Original image scale range
28.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~85 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
14.9°

Phase angle
66.0°

Solar incidence angle
53°, with the Sun about 37° above the horizon

Solar longitude
254.4°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  329.6°
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HiView

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Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
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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.