DB-TIFF Anastasia Nikiforova
Medusae Fossae Formation is not only a real “dust factory” on Mars. It is also known as the largest sedimentary deposit on the planet. It stretches for 5,000 km, and the area of the formation can be compared to India.
Medusa Formation. Provided by: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
The dusty region was named after the mythical monster Gorgon Medusa, who could turn those who looked into her eyes into stone. The word “fossae” in Latin translates as trenches or hollows.
This stereoscopic image shows the formation of Medusa on Mars. It was created from data acquired by the high-resolution stereo camera (HRSC) on ESA’s Mars Express orbiter on May 14, 2021. Provided by: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
The formation is located along the boundary between the southern Mars highlands and the northern lowlands (known as the Martian dichotomy). It lies between two of the planet’s most prominent volcanic regions (Farsis and Elysium). It also includes the Eumenides Dorsum mountain range, whose edges can be seen in the gentle elevation that emerges from the lower right edge of the frame (in the northeast). This change in elevation is particularly visible on the accompanying topographic map of this section of the Martian surface.
Topographic map. Provided by: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Mars Express also found several other landscapes on Mars that have been significantly shaped by wind, such as the Nili Fossae formation, Earth Arabia (Terra Arabia), the Great Sirte Plateau, the southern dunes, and Schiaparelli Crater
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