Changeable Martian Landscape

The image shows an ancient mountain region on Mars with a complex volcanotectonic, hydrologic, and periglacial history. Tectonic graben, impact craters, fluvial valleys, and periglacial features are visible. Numerous north-south-trending tectonic graben termed Coracis Fossae cut the eastern part of the old Thaumasia basement.

The photo was created by members of the Planetary Sciences and Remote Sensing group at Freie Universität from images recorded by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). The camera has been on board the Mars Express orbiter of the European Space Agency (ESA) since 2003 and is operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). New recordings are published monthly on the website of the Planetary Sciences and Remote Sensing group, where you can also find more information abou the Coracis Fossae in the mountain region Thaumasia.

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