A snaking scar on Mars

This image from ESA’s Mars Express shows Aganippe Fossa, a fascinating groove at the foot of Mars’s colossal Arsia Mons volcano.

Labels have been placed across the image, highlighting features and regions of note. Be sure to click on these labels and zoom in to explore the landscape in detail!

This image comprises data gathered by Mars Express’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on 13 December 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 25 m/pixel and the image is centred at about 3°S/233°E.

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[Image description: This tan-coloured rectangle of Mars is bumpy and irregular in the left half, with numerous small mounds clustering together and a number of jagged grooves and ridges seen throughout. The right half of the frame is smoother and marked by zebra-like stripes, a result of windblown dust. A dark scar, reminiscent of a dashed line, emerges from the bottom-middle of the image and arcs round to the middle-right.]