Claritas Fossae

Claritas Fossae

Claritas Fossae as seen by HiRISE. Note the steep scarp.
Coordinates 31°30′S 104°06′W / 31.5°S 104.1°WCoordinates: 31°30′S 104°06′W / 31.5°S 104.1°W

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]

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]


See also

References

  1. ↑ http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov
  2. ↑ http://www.marsartgallery.com/marsnames.html
  3. ↑ 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)
  4. ↑ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_008641_2105