Mars: craters and channels in Hephaestus Fossae - Mars: craters and channels in Hephaestus Fossae...

Mars: craters and channels in Hephaestus Fossae - Mars: craters and channels in Hephaestus Fossae - Impact crateres and channel system in Hephaestus Fossae, a region on Mars located on the western flank of Elysium Mons. The large impact crater on the left of the image measures 20 km in diameter. The image covering an area of about 150 square km was obtained by the Mars Express probe on 28 December 2007. This image of Hephaestus Fossae was obtained by Esa's Mars Express orbiter on 28 December 2007. The region is dotted with craters and channel systems and lies at about 21* North and 126* East on the Red Planet. Named after the Greek god of fire, Hephaestus Fossae extends for more than 600 km on the western flank of Elysium Mons in the Utopia Planitia region. The surface is mostly smooth, and is covered by several small impact craters measuring 800 to 2800 m in diameter. Smaller craters are scattered across the entire region. The left side of the image shows a large impact crater measuring 20 km in diameter. Covering an area of approximately 150 sq km, a crater of this size on Earth could harbour cities such as Bonn or Kiel. In contrast to the smaller craters, it shows a blanket of ejecta with flow forms surrounding the rim