Claritas Fossae
 Claritas Fossae as seen by HiRISE. Note the steep scarp. | |
| Feature type | Fault system |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°30′S 104°06′W / 31.5°S 104.1°W[1] |
| Length | ~2 030 km |
Claritas Fossae is a densely-dissected highland terrain on the Tharsis Rise of Mars, located immediately south of the Tharsis Montes. The fossae of the Claritas Fossae region are many superposed swarms of graben.
Context[edit]
Claritas Fossae is a group of troughs in the Phoenicis Lacus and Thaumasia quadrangles of Mars, located at 31.5 S and 104.1 W. The structure is 2,050.0 km long and was named after a classical albedo feature name.[1]
Geology[edit]
Long narrow depressions on Mars are called fossae. This term is derived from Latin; therefore fossa is singular and fossae is plural.[2] Troughs form when the crust is stretched until it breaks. The stretching can be due to the large weight of a nearby volcano. Fossae/pit craters are common near volcanoes in the Tharsis and Elysium regions.[3] A trough often has two breaks with a middle section moving down, leaving steep cliffs along the sides; such a trough is called a graben.[4]
Gallery[edit]
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Curved ridge that probably was formed by glacier, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
In culture[edit]
Claritas Fossae is the setting of the short story Loyal Soldier, part of the Mars Mars 2194 by Canadian author Jack Stornoway.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Claritas Fossae". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. (Center Latitude: -27.89°, Center Longitude: 255.76°)
- ^ "Mars Art Gallery Martian Feature Name Nomenclature".
- ^ Skinner, J., L. Skinner, and J. Kargel. 2007. Re-assessment of Hydrovolcanism-based Resurfacing within the Galaxias Fossae Region of Mars. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII (2007)
- ^ "HiRISE | Craters and Pit Crater Chains in Chryse Planitia (PSP_008641_2105)".
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