Landslides and rockfalls around Olympus Mons

This image from ESA’s Mars Express shows the wrinkled surroundings of Olympus Mons, the largest volcano not only on Mars but in the Solar System. This feature, created by previous landslides and lava-driven rockfalls, is named Lycus Sulci.

This image comprises data gathered by Mars Express’ High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on 18 January 2023. It was created using data from the nadir channel, the field of view aligned perpendicular to the surface of Mars, and the colour channels of the HRSC.

North is to the right. The ground resolution is approximately 19 m/pixel and the image is centred at about 28°N/212°E.

Read more

Image description: This tan-coloured slice of Mars is largely covered by wrinkled, crumpled terrain, stretching from the bottom left of the frame towards the top right. There is a notable divide towards the left, where a newer concentric ring of material has overlaid the previous landscape and so sits at higher relief. A lone crater is visible to the right of the frame on a smooth and unwrinkled patch of ground.