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28. Surface of Mars ("Twin Peaks") Ares Vallis, Mars
28. Surface of Mars ("Twin Peaks")
Ares Vallis, Mars

Mars Pathfinder obtained this 3-D view of the surface of Mars shortly after landing on July 4, 1997. Visible in this scene are a variety of rocks. The two hills (dubbed “Twin Peaks”) on the horizon are 1–2 kilometers away and are visible from orbit. The Mars Pathfinder landing site is at the mouth of Ares Vallis, a large outflow channel 1500 kilometers long that emptied from the martian highlands into the Chryse Basin. Vast floodwaters, similar to those which carved Ma'adim Vallis (slide #26), poured over this site several billion years ago. The rounded rocks in the foreground may have been transported and eroded during these floods. Twin Peaks may also have been eroded by these floodwaters.

Mars Pathfinder images; image processing by Tim Parker, Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Right click here to download a high-resolution version of the image (106 KB)



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