This map shows a portion of the surface of Mars.
Click on image for full size
Image from: NASA
Martian Global Geography
The surface of Mars consists of highlands and lowlands. The highlands are in the southern hemisphere (the bottom of the figure), and the lowlands are in the northern hemisphere of Mars (top of the figure). The lowlands contain the
Tharsis Ridge, where many of the largest
volcanoes of Mars are located. Next to the Tharsis Ridge is
Valles Marineris, a very long canyon of Mars. The high resolution topographic map, which can be viewed by clicking on the image to the left, shows these regions in better detail. Measurements returned by Mars Global surveyor demonstrate the
severe height difference between these two regions of Mars.
The highlands have tons of craters. They are the oldest portion of Mars. The lowlands are younger and so do not contain as many craters as the highlands.
Not seen clearly in this image are the Martian polar caps. Besides ice, the southern polar region of Mars contains other interesting geologic features such as layered terrain and giant sanddunes. This region was suppose to be explored by the Mars '98 mission.
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