Aeolis Mensae

Aeolis Mensae
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Aeolis Mensae is the large diagonal feature in the image, to the north and east of the crater (Gale crater).
Coordinates2°54′S 219°36′W / 2.9°S 219.6°W / -2.9; -219.6
Aeolis Mensae

Aeolis Mensae is a tableland feature in the northwest Aeolis quadrangle of Mars. Its location is centered at 2.9° south latitude and 219.6° west longitude, in the transition zone between the Martian highlands and lowlands.[1] It is 820 kilometres (510 mi) long and was named after a classical albedo feature (Aeolis).[2] The constituent mensae can be as long as 70 kilometres (43 mi) and as tall as 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).[3] It is notable for being the origin of an abnormal concentration of methane detected by Curiosity in 2019, although its geology has attracted scientific attention since at least a decade before this event.[4] Aeolis Mensae is also the first region in Mars where submarine cyclic steps, an erosion feature that gives evidence of an ancient ocean, were identified.[5]

  1. ^ "Tectonic signatures at Aeolis Mensae". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
  2. ^ "Planetary Names: Welcome". Planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
  3. ^ Churchill, J.J.C.; Schmidt, M.E.; Berger, J.A.; Fueten, F.; Tornabene, L.L.; Vargas, L.E.; Walmsley, J. (2017). "Possible Volcanic Avalanche Deposit North of Gale Crater" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Science. XLVIII (1964): 2411. Bibcode:2017LPI....48.2411C.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Kostic, Svetlana; Smith, Isaac B. (2018-11-15). "Water on Mars: Do submarine cyclic steps exist on the red planet?". Progress in Earth and Planetary Science. 5 (1): 76. Bibcode:2018PEPS....5...76K. doi:10.1186/s40645-018-0225-2. ISSN 2197-4284. S2CID 54003571.