Syrtis Major Region
MC-13
The Region covers longitudes 270° to 315° west and latitudes 0° to 30° north on Mars. Syrtis Major is an old shield volcano with a central depression that is elongated in a north-south direction. It contains the calderas Meroe Patera and Nili Patera.
Topographical Map of the Syrtis Major Region
The name Syrtis Major is derived from the classical Roman name Syrtis Major for the Gulf of Sidra on the coast of Libya (classical Cyrenaica). Syrtis Major was the first documented surface feature of another planet. It was discovered by Christian Huygens, who included it in a drawing of Mars in 1659.
Image of the Syrtis Major Region
The central part of the Region is dominated by dark dust and lava flows of the Syrtis Major Planum region. These lava flows are partly bounded to the east by a large depression, Isidis basin, which contains smooth plains, and to the west and north by heavily cratered and moderately faulted highlands. Latitude range 0 to 30 degrees, longitude range -90 to -45 degrees.
Syrtis Major is of great interest to geologists because several types of igneous rocks have been found there with orbiting spacecraft. Besides basalt, dacite and granite have been found there. Dacite originates under volcanoes in magma chambers. Dacites form at the top of the chamber, after heavy minerals (olivine and pyroxene) containing iron and magnesium have settled to the bottom. Granite is formed by an even more complex process. Some areas of Syrtis Major contain large amounts of the mineral olivine. Olivine turns into other minerals very rapidly in the presence of water, so a high abundance of olivine suggests that for a long time little water has been there.
Starting from the Northeast corner of the Region we head south and encounter the Flammarion Crater at 25 N and 48 E.
Layers in Flammarion Crater.
The crater was named after Nicolas Camille Flammarion (26 February 1842 – 3 June 1925) a French astronomer and author. The crater is 173 km in diameter.
Passing Flammarion Crater we head south into the uplands of the Terra Sabaea. The next Crater we come to is Schöner Crater.
Schöner Crater is located at 20.1°N 309.5°W. It is 195 km in diameter and named after Johannus Schöner (January 16, 1477 in – January 16, 1547). He was a priest, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, cosmographer, cartographer, mathematician, globe and scientific instrument maker.
Continuing south we next come to Cusus Valles.
Rocky layers around Cusus Valles
As we travel further southward the elevation increases and southeast of the Cusus Valles we come to Leighton Crater which is closer to the equator.
Possible Carbonate-Rich Terrain in Central Structure of Leighton Crater
Leighton Crater is located at 3.06°N 302.32°W and is 69 km in diameter so it is a smaller crater than the ones we have been coming across. The crater was named after Robert B. Leighton (September 10, 1919 – March 9, 1997) who was a prominent American experimental physicist. Research published in October 2010, described a large deposit of carbonate rocks found inside Leighton Crater at a level that was once buried 4 miles (6 km) below the surface. Finding carbonates in an underground location strongly suggests that Mars was warmer and had more atmospheric carbon dioxide and ancient seas. Because the carbonates were near silicate minerals and clays hydrothermal systems like the deep-sea vents on Earth may have been present.
Going north from there we go along the border of Terra Sabaea and Syrtis Major Planum (or Plains). There are not many named craters in the area until we come to the huge Antoniadi Crater located at 21.5 degrees north latitude and 61.1 degrees east longitude.
Antoniadi Crater with Inverted Branching Stream Channels
Antoniadi Crater is 394 km in diameter and was named after Eugène Michel Antoniadi (Greek: Εὐγένιος Μιχαὴλ Αντωνιάδης; 1 March 1870, – 10 February 1944, ) who was a Greek astronomer.
Exploring Antoniadi Crater
Probably connected to the northern rim of Antoniadi Crater is the Anquakuh Vallis.
Auquakuh Vallis in Syrtis Major. Location is 28.2 degrees north latitude and 299.2 degrees west longitude.
Anquakuh Vallis is an ancient river valley in the Syrtis Major Region on Mars. It is 312 km long, and was named for the word for 'Mars' in Quechua (Inca). At one time a dark layer covered the whole area, now only a few pieces remain as buttes. Many places on Mars have buttes that are similar to buttes on Earth, such as the famous ones in Monument Valley, Utah. Buttes are formed when most of a layer(s) of rocks are removed from an area. Buttes usually have a hard, erosion-resistant cap rock on the top. The cap rock causes the top of a butte to be flat.
Further to the East but coming from the north also is the Huo Hsing Vallis.
Dikes in Huo Hsing Vallis in which liquid rock once flowed.
Huo Hsing Vallis is an ancient river valley in the Syrtis Major Region of Mars at 30.5° north latitude and 293.4° west longitude. It is about 318 km long and was named after the word for "Mars" in Chinese. Some crater floors in the Syrtis Major area show elongated ridges in a lattice-like pattern. Such patterns are typical of faults and breccia dikes formed as a result of an impact. The ridges are found where there has been enhanced erosion. Pictures on this page show examples of these dikes. Water may flow along faults. The water often carries minerals that serve to cement rock materials thus making them harder. Later when the whole area undergoes erosion the dikes will remain as ridges because they are more resistant to erosion. This discovery may be of great importance for future colonization of Mars because these types of faults and breccia dikes on earth are associated with key mineral resources. Perhaps, when people live on Mars these areas will be mined as they are on earth.
Similar Dikes located on Earth in Colorado
Dikes or narrow ridges occur in some places on Mars. They may be formed by different means, but some are probably caused by molten rock moving underground, cooling into hard rock, then being exposed by the erosion of softer, surrounding materials. Such a feature is termed a dike. The discovery on Mars of dikes that were formed from molten rock is highly significant because dikes indicate the existence of intrusive igneous activity. On the Earth such activity is associated with precious metals like gold, silver, and tellurium. Mapping the presence of dikes allows us to understand how magma (molten rock under the ground) travels and where it could have interacted with surrounding rock, thus producing valuable ores. Deposits of important minerals are also made by dikes and other igneous intrusions heating water which then dissolves minerals that are deposited in cracks in nearby rock. One would expect a great deal of intrusive igneous activity to occur on Mars because it is believed there is more igneous activity under the ground than on top, and Mars has many huge volcanoes.
Huo Hsing Vallis Ridges, as seen by HiRISE. Ridges may be caused by water moving along faults.
Going south from there we come to Baldet Crater.
Megabreccia on Floor of Baldet Crater
Baldet Crater is located at 23.0°N 294.6°W and is 180 km in diameter. It was named after Ferdinand Baldet (16 March 1885 – 8 November 1964) who was a French astronomer.
To the southeast in the Syrtis Major Planum we come to Toro Crater located at 17°N and 71.7°E. It is a small crater about 40 km in diameter.
Exploring the floor of Toro Crater
Toro Crater may have experienced hydrothermal alteration, producing diverse minerals. The mineral diversity leads to diverse color in HiRISE, especially when enhanced as in this sub image. In general the blue and green colors indicate unaltered minerals like pyroxene and olivine, whereas the warmer colors indicate alteration into clays and other minerals. The linear north-south trending features are windblown dunes that are much younger than the bedrock.
To the southwest of Toro Crater is Arnus Vallis.
Layers in Arnus Vallis
Sand dunes are found all over Mars. Often sand dunes will form in low areas, for example on the floor of ancient river valleys. Dunes on the floor of Arnus Vallis, an old river valley are visible in a picture above. Dunes in valleys on Mars usually lie at right angles to the valley walls. Arnus Vallis is an ancient river valley in the Syrtis Major Region of Mars, located at 14.1° north latitude and 289.5° west longitude. It is 280 km long and was named after the classical and present day Arno River in Tuscany, Italy (previously named Arena Rupes).
In an elongated valley- like area to the southwest of Arnus Vallis are the two volcanoes of the Region located at an elevation at 0-1000 meters. The surrounding terrain is between 1000-3000 meters high. Here we are still in the Syrtis Major Planum. The two volcanoes are the Nili Patera and Meroe Patera mentioned earlier.
THEMIS daytime infrared image mosaic showing the central portion of the broad, low-lying shield volcanoes in the Syrtis Major Planum, just north of the equator in the eastern hemisphere of Mars. The calderas Nili Patera and Meroe Patera are visible to the upper left and lower right of center, respectively.
Here there is a 350 by 150 km north-south elongated central depression containing the calderas Nili Patera and Meroe Patera, which are about 2 km deep. The floors of the calderas are not elevated relative to the terrain of the surrounding Syrtis Major Planum. The floor of Nili Patera is the less cratered, and therefore the younger, of the two. While most of the rock is basaltic, dacite has also been detected in Nili Patera. Satellite gravity field measurements show a positive gravity anomaly centered on the caldera complex, suggesting the presence of a 600x300 km north-south elongated extinct magma chamber below, containing dense minerals (probably mainly pyroxene, with olivine also possible) that precipitated out of magma before eruptions. Crater counts date the Syrtis Major Region to the early Hesperian epoch; it postdates formation of the adjacent Isidis impact basin.
Going southeast from the volcanoes on a 45 degree angle we come to the Libya Montes in the southeast corner of the Syrtis Major Region on the Equator. The Libya Montes are a highland terrain on Mars up-lifted by the giant impact that created the Isidis basin to the north. During 1999, this region became one of the top two that were being considered for the canceled Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander. The Isidis basin is very ancient. Thus, the Libya Montes that form the southern Isidis basin rim contain some of the oldest rocks available at the Martian surface, and a landing in this region might potentially provide information about conditions on early Mars. It’s Coordinates are 1.44°N 88.23°E.
The Libya Montes
After they were formed by the Isidis impact, (estimated to have occurred between 3.7-3.1 billion years ago) the Libya Montes were subsequently modified by a large variety of processes, including fluvial activity, wind erosion and impact cratering. In particular, precipitation induced surface runoff and groundwater seepage resulted in the formation of fluvial landforms, i.e., dense valley networks, broad and elongated valleys, delta deposits, alluvial fans, open-basin paleo lakes and coastlines.
As you enter the Libya Montes from the west you come across the Zarqa Valles.
The Zarqa Valles is located at 0.16°N 80.82°E. It is 490 km long and is named after the Zarqa River (Arabic: نهر الزرقاء, Hebrew: נחל יבוק, Yabok river) the second largest tributary of the lower Jordan River.
The Libya Montes is also known to have the second face on Mars, that I have mentioned earlier. The Libya Montes has a face-like formation that appears even when viewed at different angles and with different sun angles. It can be found in the Mars Global Surveyor, MOC narrow-angle image M02-03051. Also in HiRISE image ESP 018368 1830 (non-map projected) and ESP 018223 1830—a stereo pair that allows 3D terrain data to be generated. Like the the first Face on Mars, it is an example of pareidolia. That is the imagined perception of a pattern where it does not actually exist, as in considering Mars to have human features.
Sometimes called "The Crowned Face"
The Isidis Planitia is a plain located inside a giant impact basin on Mars, centered at 12.9°N 87.0°E. It covers a little over a quarter of the Eastern part of the Syrtis Major Region. It is the third biggest obvious impact structure on the planet after the Hellas and Argyre basins – it is about 1,500 km (930 mi) in diameter. Due to dust coverage, it typically appears bright in telescopic views, and was mapped as a classical albedo feature, the Isidis area was visible by telescope in the pre-spacecraft era.
Topographical Map of the Isidis Basin
Very Recent Small Crater in Isidis Planitia
Around the Isidis basin magnesium carbonate was found by MRO. This mineral indicates that water was present and that it was not acidic, pH conditions more favorable for the evolution of life. The name "Isidis Planitia" follows the earlier name Isidis Region ("Isis' Region"). Isis is the Egyptian goddess of heaven and fertility.
Jezero Crater is located on the western edge of the Isidis Planitia. Once flooded with water, the crater contains a fan-delta deposit rich in clays. In several Slavic languages including Bosnian, Croatian, Czech, Serbian, and Slovenian, the word Jezero means "lake". Its location is 18.4°N 282.4°W and it is 49 km in diameter.
Proposed MSL Landing Site in Jezero Crater
Layered Valley Connected to the Eastern Part of Jezero Crater
Nili Fossae is a group of large, concentric grabens that have been eroded and partly filled in by sediments and clay-rich ejecta from a nearby giant impact crater, the Isidis basin. It is located at approximately 22°N, 75°E, and has an elevation of −0.6 km (−0.37 mi). Nili Fossae was on the list of potential landing sites of the Mars Science Laboratory, arriving in 2012, but was dropped before the final four sites were determined. A large exposure of olivine is located in Nili Fossae. In December 2008, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter found that rocks at Nili Fossae contain carbonate minerals, a geologically significant discovery. Other minerals found by MRO are aluminum smectite, iron/magnesium smectite, hydrated silica, kaolinite group minerals, and iron oxides. NASA scientists discovered that Nili Fossae is the source of plumes of methane raising- the question is whether this source originates from biological sources. Researchers in July 2010 suggested that carbonate bearing rocks found in the Nili Fossae region of Mars are made up of hydro thermally altered ultramafic rocks. Consequently, hydrothermal activity would have provided sufficient energy for biological activity. Evidence of living organisms could have been preserved. Possible evidence of 'buried life' was recently found at Nili Fossae.
Nili Fossae as seen by CRISM. Top left: location of observation. Bottom left: context of observation. Top right: yellow-brown areas denote olivine, bright green areas denote phyllosilicates and purple areas pyroxene. Bottom right: approximate true-color view of the target area.
The coordinates for Nili Fossae are 22.57°N 76.8°E and it covers an area 667 km. CRISM is the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is a visible-infrared spectrometer aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter searching for mineralogical indications of past and present water on Mars. CRISM is being used to identify locations on Mars that may have hosted water, a chemical considered important in the search for past or present extraterrestrial life. In order to do this, CRISM is mapping the presence of minerals and chemicals that may indicate past interaction with water - low-temperature or hydrothermal. These materials include iron and oxides, which can be chemically altered by water, and phyllosilicates and carbonates, which form in the presence of water. All of these materials have characteristic patterns in their visible-infrared energy and are readily seen by CRISM. In addition, CRISM is monitoring ice and dust particulates in the Martian atmosphere to learn more about its climate and seasons.
The CRISM Instrument
Exploring the Nili Fossae Area
In the Southern part of Nili Fossae we come to Hargraves Crater.
Hargraves Crater in Southern Nili Fossae
It is located at 20.76°N 284.36°W and is 68 km in diameter. It was named after Robert B. Hargraves (August 11, 1928 – March 21, 2003) who was an American geologist who worked as a professor at Princeton University.
Going to the northeast of Nili Fossae we come to the Arena Colles area.
Arena Colles Phyllosilicate Deposit
The Arena Colles is composed of a group of hills and knobs. It is my theory that wherever there is a large Phyllosilicate or clay deposit there is a good possibility that through chemical reactions with local bacteria methane gas can be produced. and that may be the case here. The bacteria could be an undiscovered variety that would be producing the gas. The Arena Colles area is located at 24°N and 81°E.
Located in the center of the Arena Colles area is Peridier Crater.
Linear Ridges and Fans on Floor of Peridier Crater
Peridier Crater is located at 25.7°N 276.2°W it is 100 km in diameter. It was named after Julien Péridier (1882 – April 19, 1967) a French electrical engineer and amateur astronomer.
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