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This is a map of Martian magnetic fields in the southern highlands of Mars. In this area on Mars magnetic stripes possibly resulting from crustal movement are the most prominent.
The false blue and red colors represent invisible magnetic fields in the Martian crust that point in opposite directions.
The magnetic fields appear to be organized in bands, with adjacent bands pointing in opposite directions.
These stripes are strikingly similar to patterns seen in the Earth's crust at the mid-oceanic ridges.
Graph of elevation measurements of Mars. These measurements were made by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA).
MOLA sends laser pulses toward the planet and measures the precise amount of time before the reflected signals are received back at the instrument. From this data, scientists can infer surface and cloud heights.
During its mapping of the north polar cap, the MOLA instrument also made the first direct measurement of cloud heights on the red planet. From this we know that clouds range in altitude from just above the surface to more than 15 kilometers.
This is a topographic profile across the northern hemisphere of Mars from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA). It covers approximately 5000 kilometers.
The large bulge is the western part of the Elysium rise, the second largest volcanic area on Mars, and shows over 5 kilometers of vertical relief. This area contains some deep chasms. In contrast, northern plains of Mars is the almost featureless ('smooth') - on the left in the graph.
Altimetric observations from MOLA made it possible to draw topographic maps like this.
(An altimeter is an instrument that measures the height above ground).
(Topography means the precise detailed study of the surface features of a region).
This map and other maps were compiled from a data base of 266.7 million laser altimetric measurements collected between March 1999 and February 2000.
