Fluvial Valley in Cerberus

Image Title: Fluvial Valley in Cerberus
Release Date: September 25, 2006
Source: Mars Global Surveyor MOC narrow-angle camera

Description

Water and Mars has always been a controversial issue. How much water? How little water? The valleys we see were created by running water. The valleys we see were not created by running water. The debate as to the nature and role of water in the geologic history of Mars will continue and the answer to the question has major implications with respect to the question of past life on Mars.

The image above shows what appears to be a valley created by a flow of water. The curves and streamlined nature of the "islands" are strongly suggestive of creation by a flow of water, most probably a short lived flood rather than a long term flow. In this image, the top to bottom distance is 2.81 kilometers. Another item to note is the lack of craters on the valley floors, indicative of a relatively young age geologically speaking.

The region of Mars known as Cerberus is located in the Aeolis quadrangle. Cerberus is an albedo feature that is centered at 14.8°N latitude, 155.0°E longitude. It was so named by Schiaparelli in 1881.

Source Image Background

The source image was acquired by the Mars Global Surveyor MOC narrow-angle camera in November of 2000. The area seen in the image is located at 7.89°N latitude, 206.05°W longitude

Image Processing

All processing of this image was done using Adobe Photoshop. This processing included noise removal, making tonal adjustments to enhance detail, and the application of false color,

Wallpaper Download

I have created a compressed low resolution version of "Fluvial Valley in Cerberus" for use as a desktop wallpaper. This wallpaper version is made available for your personal use only. It is not to be modified or redistributed in any form by any means. All rights are retained by the artist.

Fluvial Valley in Cerberus, 1024 x 768 Wallpaper Image by Jim Plaxco