Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS: Feature Image: Medusae Fossae Yardangs (Released 15 April 2003)

Vital Statistics
Location: -5.1N, 184.4E	Released: 2003-04-15
Image Size: 18.4 x 65.7 km, 1024 x 3648 px
Resolution: 18m	Instrument: VIS

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/ASU

Image Context:
Context image for 20030415a

Wide Context:
Wide context image for 20030415a

Context image credit: NASA/JPL/MOLA
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Detailed information on this image is available at the THEMIS Data Releases website.

Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.

The Medusae Fossae formation is an enigmatic pile of eroding sediments that spans over 5000 km in discontinuous masses along the martian equator. The yardang ridges, formed from the scouring action of windblown sand, are a characteristic feature of this formation. In this image, there is evidence for a period of erosion when winds scoured the surface at nearly right angles to the prominent yardang direction.