Tectonic transition zone, Aeolis Mensae

Mars Express’ High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) has provided snapshots of the Aeolis Mensae region on the Red Planet. This area, well-known for its features that reflect the result of the activity of wind on the arid planet, lies on a tectonic transition zone, characterised by incised valleys and unexplained linear features.

Illuminated by the Sun from the west (right hand side in the image), the pictures are of a ground resolution of approximately 13 meters per pixel. The region, imaged on 26 and 29 March 2007, during Mars Express orbit number 4136 and 4247, is located at approximately 6° South and 145° East.

This colour picture, a mosaic of pictures derived from orbits 4136 and 4147, has been derived from the three HRSC colour channels in combination with the nadir channel.