Elysium Planitia, located in theElysium andAeolis quadrangles, is a broad plain that straddles the equator ofMars, centered at3°00′N154°42′E / 3.0°N 154.7°E /3.0; 154.7.[1] It lies to the south of the volcanic province ofElysium, the second largestvolcanic region on the planet, afterTharsis. Elysium contains the major volcanoesElysium Mons,Albor Tholus andHecates Tholus. Another more ancientshield volcano,Apollinaris Mons, is situated just to the south of eastern Elysium Planitia. Within the plains,Cerberus Fossae is the only Mars location with recent volcanic eruptions. Lava flows dated no older than 0.2 million years from the present have been found,[2] and evidence has been found thatvolcanic activity may have occurred as recently as 53,000 years ago. Such activity could have provided the environment, in terms of energy and chemicals, needed to supportlife forms.[3][4]
The largest craters in Elysium Planitia areEddie,Lockyer, andTombaugh. The planitia also has river valleys—one of which,Athabasca Valles may be one of the youngest on Mars. On the north east side is an elongated depression calledOrcus Patera, and this and some of the eastern plains were imaged in the 1965Mariner 4 flyby.[5]
A 2005 photo of a locale in Elysium Planitia at 5°N, 150°E by theMars Express spacecraft shows what may be ash-covered water ice. The volume of ice is estimated to be 800 km (500 mi) by 900 km (560 mi) in size and 45 m (148 ft) deep, similar in size and depth to theNorth Sea.[6] The ice is thought to be the remains of water floods from theCerberus Fossae fissures about 2 to 10 million years ago. The surface of the area is broken into 'plates' like broken ice floating on a lake (seebelow). Impact crater counts show that the plates are up to 1 million years older than the gap material, showing that the area solidified much too slowly for the material to be basaltic lava.[7]
NASA'sInSight mission landed in Elysium Planitia on 26 November 2018.[8] It took off from Earth on 5 May 2018. The probe will study the internal structure of Mars and by so doing improve understanding of the planet's evolution. InSight Mars lander was able to take color pictures from the surface Elysium Planitia and sent them by radio signal back to Earth. During the descent sequence two additional items were jettisoned, the backshell with parachute, and heat shield, and they impacted in the vicinity of the lander.
First images of Elysium Planitia fromInSight's Instrument Context Camera (ICC, left), without lens cover and stretched (ICC, Middle), and the Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC, right)
Image footprints by HiRise onMars Reconnaissance Orbiter for studying the plannedInsight landing ellipse. From east to west the scale is about 160 km (100 mi).
InSight final landing location (red dot) (13 December 2018)
InSight backshell with parachute, lander, heat shield (11 December 2018)
InSight backshell with parachute, lander, heat shield (26 November 2018)
Mound showing layers at the base, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is east of Gale Crater in theAeolis quadrangle.
Yardangs showing layers, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is east of Gale Crater in theAeolis quadrangle.
Mesas and eroded parts of mesas showing layers anddark slope streaks, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Image is located in easternAvernus Colles.
Wide view of layered terrain, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Location is northeast of Gale Crater.
^Golombek, M.; et al. (2017).Selection of the 2018 Insight Landing Site. 48th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. 20–24 March 2017. The Woodlands, Texas.Bibcode:2017LPI....48.1515G. LPI Contribution No. 1964, id.1515.
