Cerberus Palus

Cerberus Palus
Cerberus Palus, as seen by THEMIS.
Coordinates5°30′N 150°30′E / 5.5°N 150.5°E / 5.5; 150.5

Cerberus Palus is a plain in the Elysium quadrangle of Mars, centered at 5°48′N 148°06′E / 5.8°N 148.1°E / 5.8; 148.1. It is 470 km across and was named after a classical albedo feature Cerberus.[1]

Cerberus Palus once contained a lake fed by Athabasca Valles and draining into Lethe Vallis. According to different researches, it could be a lake of water[2] or lava.[3] It is notable by giant plates (up to 50 km and more), similar to pack ice,[2] but possibly pieces of lava crust.[3] Gaps between the plates contain spiral-shaped geological features, probably lava coils.[3][4]

  1. ^ "Cerberus Palus". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Murray_2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Ryan_2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Lakdawalla, Emily. "Swirly lava patterns in beautiful HiRISE images". Retrieved 27 April 2012.