Mars - Tharsis Montes Unusual Formation.

Greetings. A few weeks ago while I was browsing around Mars on Google Earth I came across this unusually square formation. The location is visible on this image for anyone who wants to look for themselves. The viewpoint is rotated, so when you find it it'll be the other way up.

I just found it odd how square it was, and the fact that it looks like walls of seemingly similar thickness. I've never personally witnessed this "shape" in nature before, and I also find it to be running parallel with the "lava tube" above it.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c4ca0e237fc0.jpg[/atsimg]

What could it be? Is the fact that's it's on the lower slopes of an ancient volcano relevant?

Being that it is on the slope of an inactive volcano, I would say it looks very much like a lava outflow from a low pressure vent. But hey, Im no astrogeologist, Im just a member of ATS

[edit on 28-4-2010 by DerbyCityLights]

The picture is a little big so the inset I zoomed in on is clipping off the page slightly.

I forgot to add that I did a search for this on here and I found nothing, so apologies in advance if this has already been covered.

If it's an outflow, why is it so abrupt, angular and relatively isolated?

looks structural and that outflow washout flowing to the top....

reply to post by invetro




I really dont know. Like I said, Im no astrogeologist. I did do a bit of snooping around and found some formations here on earth that kind of resemble this though. These are of River Deltas.

www.uwsp.edu...

reply to post by DerbyCityLights


Nothing quite that perfectly angled though. To me it looks like building foundations, although I don't know how to work out the scale of the formation.

I think it looks like a collapsed caldera that is partially filled in with a flow.

[edit on 28-4-2010 by stereologist]

Looks quite normal to me. Showing that the lava has more than likely solidified and cooled while another portion was still hot. Creating an overlap, so that when the hot portion begins to cool you will see this type of visual. Depending on how long ago it was active as well as various other events that have happened in the past it could certainly change the face of the volcano. Not to mention the sand 'tornadoes/storms' that happen upon the planet as well.

[edit]

I believe the poster above me has it right on the money pretty much. As well I forgot about calderas and volcanoes' collapsing in on them.

[edit on 28-4-2010 by Gigantea Rosa]

Would that attest for the missing "corners" then? Further down that strip is a circular collapsed caldera, so you could be right.