Public domain
What on Mars is a High Thermal-Inertia Surface?
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Coprates Chasma is located in the huge canyon system, Vallis Marineris. NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter finds indications of high thermal inertia. What do we mean when we describe a surface as having "high thermal inertia"? The term refers to the ability of a material to conduct and store heat, and in planetary science, its measure of the subsurface's ability to store heat during the day and reradiate it during the night. What causes thermal inertia?
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineWhat on Mars is a High Thermal-Inertia Surface?. NASA/JPL, 2015-04-08. Public domain. ID: PIA19357.
