This marked and colorful landscape (by Martian standards!) shows part of Aonia Terra, a mountainous region south of Mars. The image was taken by ESA’s Mars Express on 25 April 2022.
The 30 km wide unnamed crater at the center of the image is located within a landscape of winding channels. Evoking images of veins resembling a human eyeball, these channels likely transported liquid water across the surface of Mars about 3.5 to 4 billion years ago.
The channels appear to be partially filled with a dark material and, in places, appear to be elevated above the surrounding land. There are a variety of possible explanations for this. Perhaps erosion-resistant sediments were deposited at the bottom of the channels as water flowed through them. Or maybe the channels filled with lava at some point in the history of Mars.
This Mars Express image of the surface of Mars reveals many different colors around the crater, suggesting that this region is made up of a variety of materials.
Topography of the Martian region Aonia Terra
To the south of the crater (left image), the surface is a warm red that fades to a darker brownish gray near the crater. Many hills can be seen in this region: these flat-topped rock towers are created when water, wind or ice gradually wear away the land.
Inside the crater, a field of dark dunes rests on a lighter surface. Upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that the crater is filled with cone-shaped ridges and hills. They are evidence that many different materials accumulated inside the crater.
To the north of the crater (to the right of the panoramic image), the surface is clearer and smoother. The rims and channels of the main crater appear less well defined. On the far right of the image, the surface is even smoother.
Aonia Terra, the sacred place of the Muses
Aonia Terra is known for its impressive craters. Close to the crater shown in this image is the 200 km wide Lowell crater. Lowell is believed to have formed nearly four billion years ago, during the period of the Solar System’s “late heavy bombardment”, when large numbers of asteroids collided with the rocky planets.
Aonia Terra is named after a dark spot on the surface of Mars that can be seen from Earth, even with rudimentary telescopes. Aonia was also a region in ancient Greece, a place sacred to the Muses, the goddesses of literature, science and the arts.
Inside the crater, a field of dark dunes rests on a lighter surface.
The Martian Traveler, Marx Express
Mars Express has been orbiting the Red Planet since 2003, photographing the surface of Mars, mapping its minerals, identifying the composition and circulation of its thin atmosphere, probing beneath its crust and exploring how various phenomena in the Martian environment interact.
The mission’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) responsible for these new images has revealed much about the various features of the Martian surface, with recent images showing everything from wind-carved ridges and ridges to volcanoes, impact craters, fault lines , rivers channels and ancient lava pools.
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