March 01, 2002 MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818)
354-5011 ||Hydaspis Chaos in Nighttime Infrared ||March 1, 2002
This nighttime infrared image, taken by the thermal emission
imaging system, captures a massively disrupted region on Mars
called Hydaspsis Chaos, which is located near the equator at two
degrees north, 29 degrees west. The total vertical difference
from the lowest to highest points in this region is about five
kilometers (three miles.) The steep slopes leading down into the
canyon of Hydaspsis Chaos are strewn with rocks, while the
plateaus and mesas above are covered in dust. This pattern
indicates that processes are at work to prevent the dust from
completely covering the surface of these slopes, even over the
very long period since these canyons were formed. The slopes and
floor of these canyons show remarkable variability in the
distribution of rocks and f