ESA spacecraft captures pitted flanks of second-tallest volcano on Mars

 

Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Mars or the Red Planet is known for its captivating geological features, and among them are some of the most remarkable volcanoes found in the entire Solar System. The pitted flanks of Ascraeus Mons, the second-tallest volcano on the planet, were recently imaged by the European Space Agency's Mars Express.

Located in the Tharsis region of Mars, Ascraeus Mons is one of the three prominent shield volcanoes found in this region, with the other two being Pavonis Mons and Arsia Mons.

Ascraeus Mons is about 460 km across and about 18 km in height. It is surpassed in height only by Olympus Mons - the highest of all known volcanoes in our solar system. With a height of approximately 25 km, it is three times higher than Earth's Mount Everest.

The above picture, captured by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) onboard Mars Express, shows several dramatic features including lava flows, chains of craters, channel-like rilles and large fissures - collectively named Ascraeus Chasmata, encompassing an enormous patch of collapsed terrain over 70 km across.

Our ever-productive #MarsExpress has spied some gorgeous gouged gorges on #Mars (try saying that 10 times fast!). These snaking chasms lie at the foot of the planet’s second-tallest volcano, Ascraeus Mons 🌋Full story and more amazing pics 📷: https://t.co/ni3LmEOOlq pic.twitter.com/W1TOtwsJYh

— ESA Science (@esascience) May 10, 2023

ESA's Mars Express has been orbiting the Red Planet since June 2003, studying the geology, atmosphere, and climate of Mars, and searching for evidence of water and past or present life on the planet. The mission has provided valuable data and imagery of Mars, significantly enhancing our understanding of the planet.

The High-Resolution Stereo Camera is one of the key science instruments onboard the spacecraft. HRSC has revealed a diverse array of Martian surface features, including wind-sculpted ridges, impact craters, tectonic faults, river channels, and ancient lava pools, all thanks to its high-resolution imaging capabilities.