Noctis Labyrinthus

Noctis Labyrinthus
In this Viking 1 image, the canyons are filled with mist from frost sublimated by the early-morning sun. (South is toward the top.) Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Coordinates	7°00′S 102°12′W / 7.0°S 102.2°W / -7.0; -102.2Coordinates: 7°00′S 102°12′W / 7.0°S 102.2°W / -7.0; -102.2
Length	1,263.0
v · d · e

Noctis Labyrinthus, "the labyrinth of the night", is a region of Mars between the Valles Marineris and the Tharsis upland. It is located in the Phoenicis Lacus quadrangle. The region is notable for its maze-like system of deep, steep-walled valleys. The valleys and canyons of this region formed by faulting and many show classic features of grabens, with the upland plain surface preserved on the valley floor. In some places the valley floors are rougher, disturbed by landslides, and there are places where the land appears to have sunk down into pit-like formations.^[1] It is thought that this faulting was triggered by volcanic activity in the Tharsis region.^[2] Research, described in December 2009, found a variety of minerals--including clays, sulfates, and hydrated silicas in some of the layers. ^[3]

• 

  Mariner 9 view of the Noctis Labyrinthus "labyrinth" at the western end of Valles Marineris on Mars. Linear graben, grooves, and crater chains dominate this region, along with a number of flat-topped mesas. The image is roughly 400 km across, centered at 6 S, 105 W, at the edge of the Tharsis bulge. North is up. Image is located in the Phoenicis Lacus quadrangle.

• 

  Part of Noctis Labyrinthus taken with Mars Global Surveyor. Courtesy NASA/Malin Space Science Systems.

• 

  Layers in the wall of Noctis Labyrinthus taken with Mars Global Surveyor. Courtesy NASA/Malin Space Science Systems.

• 

  Layers in the lower portion of two neighbouring buttes within the Noctis Labyrinthus formation on Mars are visible in this image.

References

1. ^ http://cmex.ihmc.us/cmex/data/voviews/Canyons/Noctis.htm
2. ^ Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS: Feature Image: Noctis Labyrinthus Landslides
3. ^ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12//091216205910.htm

External links

• "Images from ESA Mars Express". European Space Agency. December 3, 2007. http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMWBK73R8F_0.html. Retrieved 2007-12-03.