Topography of Angustus Labyrinthus

This colour-coded topographic image shows a slice of terrain in the south polar region of Mars. It features a region nicknamed Inca City (more formally named Angustus Labyrinthus), which is characterised by linear ridges reminiscent of Inca ruins, and traces of small, dark features known as ‘spiders’. These form as carbon dioxide gas warms up in sunlight and breaks through slabs of overlying ice.

This view was created from data collected by ESA’s Mars Express on 27 February 2024 and is based on a digital terrain model of the region, from which the topography of the landscape can be derived. Lower parts of the surface are shown in blues and purples, while higher altitude regions show up in whites and reds, as indicated on the scale to the top right.

North is to the upper right. The ground resolution is approximately 15 m/pixel and the image is centred at 300°E/79°S.

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