Columnar jointing, Marte Vallis
Jointed columns occur around the entire circumference of the crater, indicating that the lava flows cover a huge area: at least 200 square kilometers (77 square miles). The widespread lava flows stacked on top of one another appear similar to the terrestrial flood basalts of the Columbia River Basin in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, where instances of columnar jointing are common. It is likely that runny lava from a distant source formed layers of basalt in Marte Vallis, and they were uncovered when an asteroid punched through the Martian surface.
Mars image courtesy High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Arizona State University.This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.) | ||
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Marte VallisMarte Vallis je údolí či řečiště na povrchu Marsu, které se nachází v oblasti Amazonis. Marte Vallis byl identifikován jako odtokový kanál vyrytý do geologické vrstvy povrchu Marsu. Toto údolí nese první nalezené náznaky chladnoucí lávy na povrchu Marsu. .. pokračovat ve čtení