Space Station Info :: Nine Planet Solar System :: History of Mars :: Topography of Mars

Topography of Mars

The feature of Martian topography is striking, northern plains trampled by lava flows disparity with the southern highlands, bumpy and cratered by ancient impacts. The surface of Mars as seen from Earth, is divided into two kinds of areas, with differing albedo. The paler plains covered with dust and sand rich in reddish iron oxides were once thought of as Martian 'continents' and given names like Arabia Terra (land of Arabia) or Amazonis Planitia (Amazonian plain).

The dark features were thought to be seas, hence their names Mare Erythraeum, Mare Sirenum and Aurorae Sinus. The largest dark feature seen from Earth is Syrtis Major.

Mars has polar ice caps that contain frozen water and carbon dioxide that vary with the Martian seasons — the carbon dioxide ice sublimates in summer, revealing a surface of layered rocks, and forms again in winter. An extinct shield volcano, Olympus Mons (Mount Olympus), is at 27 km the highest mountain in the solar system. It is in a vast upland region called Tharsis, containing several large volcanos.

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Physical Characteristics of Mars
Atmosphere of Mars
Geology of Mars
Topography of Mars
Canals of Mars
The Moons Of Mars
Exploration Of Mars
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