Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS: Feature Image: Cerberus Fossae Fractures (Released 29 October 2003)

Vital Statistics
Location: 8.6N, 160.6E	Released: 2003-10-29
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 20031029a

Wide Context:
Wide context image for 20031029a

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 fractured surface of the Cerberus region southeast of the Elysium volcanoes provides an impressive example of the powerful tectonic forces that have shaped the region. Both the smooth lava plains and the mountains that poke through the lava were subjected to extensional forces which ripped open the landscape. The fractures are radial to the Elysium complex, suggesting a relationship between the extensional features and volcanic processes.