Tempe Terra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Topographic map of Tempe Terra region
Topographic map of Tempe Terra region

Tempe Terra is an area in the northern hemisphere of Mars and part of the larger Tharsis region. It is centered at 39.7°N and 289°E and covers 2700 km at its broadest extent. A geolocially complex region, Tempe Terra is a transition zone between the old, heavily cratered highlands of the Martian south and the geologically younger, lowland terrain of the north. The province was named after the Vale of Tempe, a valley located south of Mount Olympus and celebrated by the ancient Greeks for its beauty.

Among other notable characteristics, ESA's Mars Express has found grabens in the area. Research on extension, or rifts in the crust, has suggested Tempa Terra may be the most highly strained geologic region on Mars[1] with a lot of low shield volcanoes.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Golombek, M.P.; Tanaka, K.L., Franklin, B.J. (1996). "Extension across Tempe Terra, Mars, from measurements of fault-scarp widths and deformed craters". JGR-Planets 101 (E11). 

[edit] Notes

Languages