Public domain
Sirenum Fossae
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Today's VIS image shows a portion of Sirenum Fossae. The linear features are tectonic graben. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineSirenum Fossae. NASA/JPL, 2023-01-25. Public domain. ID: PIA25758.
