Topographical Map of the Aeolis Region
The Reason this Phase has been split into two Phases (chapters) is there is a large amount of information discovered by the Curiosity and the Spirit Rovers that need to be considered. Since
Topographical Map of the Aeolis Region
The Reason this Phase has been split into two Phases (chapters) is there is a large amount of information discovered by the Curiosity and the Spirit Rovers that need to be considered. Since we are finished with Curiosity this Phase will deal with the Spirit Rover which did it’s work while it was operational on the opposite (east) side of the Aeolis Region.
Going eastward in the Elysium Planitia in the north of the Aeolis Region we come to the Avernus Colles at 171°1°S.
Avernus Colles is a region of hills' separated by arcuate (delta-like) fractures. These features are the margin between the southern highlands and Elysium Planitia to the north. This VIS image shows a portion of Avernus Colles. The term "colles" means small hills, and the surface here is being fractured into many small hills and mesas.
To the southeast of the Avernus Colles are the Avernus Cavi at about 173°E 4°S.
Avernus Cavi Fractures
Cavi means exactly what it sounds like- the Avernus Cavi are pits or cavities in the terrain of Mars
Depression in Avernus Cavi Region
To the southwest of the Cavi is the ridges of the Avernus Dorsa between 170-171°E and as far south as 9°S.
Avernus was believed to be the entrance to the underworld, and is portrayed as such in the Aeneid of Virgil. So the name has a classical origin.
To the east of the Avernus Cavi is the Tartarus Scopulus which occupies the northeast corner of the Aeolis Region.
Tartars Scopulus is an area of lobate scarps. Tartarus is a classical term for the hell where people were judged in the classical poets.
Apollinaris Patera, a large volcano, which lies directly north of Gusev Crater. It is located at 174°E 9°S.
Apollinaris Patera (Apollinaris Mons)
In April 1999, the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) passed over the Apollinaris Patera volcano and captured a patch of bright clouds hanging over its summit in the early Martian afternoon. This ancient volcano is located near the equator and--based on observations from the 1970s Viking Orbiters--is thought to be as much as 5 kilometers (3 miles) high. The caldera--the semi-circular crater at the volcano summit--is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) across. Apollinaris Mons is an ancient shield volcano in the southern hemisphere of Mars. It is situated near the equator, south of Elysium Planitia and north of Gusev crater. Elysium Planitia separates it from the volcanic province of Elysium to its northwest. The volcano's caldera is named Apollinaris Patera; this name formerly applied to the whole edifice. Apollinaris Mons is about 5 kilometers high with a base about 296 kilometers in diameter. On the top of this volcano is a caldera about 80 km (50 miles) in diameter. The volcano is approximately 3 to 3.5 billion years old. It was named in 1973 after a mountain spring near Rome in Italy. A study using a global climate model found that the Medusae Fossae Formation could have been formed from ash from Apollinaris Mons, Arsia Mons, and possibly Pavonis Mons.
To the east of the Volcano is the Matrona Vallis located at 176°E 8°S.
Matrona Vallis is 51 kilometers long and is named after the classical name for Marne River in France.
To the east of the Matrona Valles all the way to the eastern border of the Aeolis Region is the Lucus Planum. Roughly 177-180°E and 5-10°S.
A Fading Impact Crater in Lucus Planum
This cluster of craters formed quite recently from a weak impacter that broke apart in Mars' thin atmosphere before smashing into the surface. It was discovered by the MRO Context Camera (CTX) Team, who found a dark spot in a CTX image taken in August 2008 that was not present in earlier Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS images from July 2005. HiRISE examined the feature in October 2008 and verified that the dark spot was impact ejecta excavated from beneath the bright surface. On June 25 2012, HiRISE took another look at the young crater to see how it had fared after two Martian years. This image was timed to closely match the illumination and viewing conditions of the earlier HiRISE image. A comparison of the two images shows that the dark halo surrounding the crater cluster has nearly vanished. The delicate rays extending beyond the halo are also significantly faded. Only the 