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Named after the Roman god of war, it is often referred to as the "Red Planet" [1] [2] because the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of Earth.
The maps below were produced by the Mars Global Surveyor ' s Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter; redder colors indicate higher elevations.The maps of the equatorial quadrangles use a Mercator projection, while those of the mid-latitude quadrangles use a Lambert conformal conic projection, and the maps of the polar quadrangles use a polar stereographic projection.
The surface appearance of some regions of Mars is due to how this unit has degraded. It is a major cause of the surface appearance of lobate debris aprons . [ 56 ] The layering of the upper plains mantling unit and other mantling units are believed to be caused by major changes in the planet's climate.
Interactive image map of the global topography of Mars. Hover your mouse over the image to see the names of over 60 prominent geographic features, and click to link to them. Coloring of the base map indicates relative elevations, based on data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor.
The caves may be the only natural structures offering protection from the micrometeoroids, UV radiation, solar flares, and high energy particles that bombard the planet's surface. [95] These features may enhance preservation of biosignatures over long periods of time and make caves an attractive astrobiology target in the search for evidence of ...
Official USGS Mars map; Basic Mars map image; List of quadrangles on Mars; Template:Basic Mars map; List of artificial objects on Mars#Landing site namings and memorials – (Mars Memorials) Template:Features and memorials on Mars – (Mars Memorials map) (Template – ImageMap coordinates) (Template – transclusions
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun.The surface of Mars is orange-red because it is covered in iron(III) oxide dust, giving it the nickname "the Red Planet". [22] [23] Mars is among the brightest objects in Earth's sky, and its high-contrast albedo features have made it a common subject for telescope viewing.
Coloring of the base map indicates relative elevations, based on data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. Whites and browns indicate the highest elevations ( +12 to +8 km ); followed by pinks and reds ( +8 to +3 km ); yellow is 0 km ; greens and blues are lower elevations (down to −8 km ).