| Claritas Fossae | |
|---|---|
Claritas Fossae as seen by HiRISE. Note the steep scarp. |
|
Claritas Fossae is a trough in the Phoenicis Lacus quadrangle of Mars, located at 31.5 S and 104.1 W. It is 2,050.0 km long and was named after a classical albedo feature name.[1]
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 system of volcanoes.[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] Lake George, in northern New York State, is a lake that sits in a graben.