Exploratour - The Surface of Mars

A representation of the Tharsis Ridge, showing the altitude of the volcanoes compared to the surrounding areas. The elevated southern hemisphere is also shown. From Mars Global Surveyor.
Click on image for full size
NASA/JPL

Continents on Mars

The most obvious features of the surface of Mars, as shown in the picture to the left, are the two regions which seem elevated above the rest of the crust. The most obvious is a large elevated region in the lower half of the planet. This region is called the Highlands. The rest of the surface is called Lowlands. The highlands resemble a terrestrial continent.

The other one is a smaller, island-shaped feature, known as the Tharsis Ridge. It is also as large as a small continent on Earth, or perhaps a large, volcanic island. These two features may be the "continents of Mars". More study is needed, however, to determine if these regions are indeed composed of continental crust similar to what we have on Earth.

Near the middle of the highlands near the south pole, is a very deep area called the Hellas Basin (colored blue on this map). It is deeper than the Challenger Deep, which is the deepest spot on Earth.

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

Even though the sleeping man is no longer on the bed, you can still see where he was lying down. The heat from his body warmed up the bed sheets which are now radiating infrared light toward your eyes....more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

All warm objects radiate in the infrared. The warmer the object, the higher the frequency and intensity of the radiation. Very hot objects give off other types of radiation in addition to infrared. Click...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

Your eye is a wonderful detector of visible light. Different frequencies of light produce different sensations in the eye which we interpret as colors. Our eyes detect light by using light sensitive components...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

Imagine you found a pair of special glasses that not only gave you telescopic vision but gave you the ability to see all forms of radiant energy. The universe in visible light contains all the familiar...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

This is a volcano on the island of Miyake in Japan. It has erupted, sending hot lava and ash into the air, a total of ten times. The time after one eruption until the next occurred was about twenty years...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

The awesome power of a giant black hole was revealed by looking at this galaxy in three different types of light. The picture that you see is of Centaurus A, a very peculiar galaxy. A galaxy is just a...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

This is a plant in Gary, Indiana where power is made. We use power to run things like television sets, radios, lights, and microwave ovens. The picture looks very strange because it was taken in infrared....more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA