Margaritifer Sinus Quadrangle - Aureum Chaos

Aureum Chaos

Aureum Chaos is a major canyon system and collapsed area. It is probably a major source of water for large outflow channels.

Large outflow channels on Mars are believed to be caused by catastrophic discharges of ground water. Many of the channels begin in chaotic terrain, where the ground has apparently collapsed. In the collapsed section, blocks of undisturbed material be seen. The OMEGA experiment on Mars Express discovered clay minerals (phyllosilicates) in a variety of places in Aureum Chaos. Clay minerals need water to form, so the area may once have contained large amounts of water. Scientists are interested in determining what parts of Mars contained water because evidence of past or present life may be found there.

• Huge canyons in Aureum Chaos. Gullies are rare at this latitude. Picture taken by THEMIS.

• Aureum Chaos, as seen from THEMIS.

• Light toned butte on floor of crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Arrows show outcrops of light toned material. Light toned material is probably sulfate-rich and similar to material examined by Spirit Rover, and it once probably covered the whole floor. Other images below show enlargements of the butte.

• Light toned butte, as seen by HiRISE, under HiWish program.

• Close up of top of light toned butte, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program.

On April 1, 2010, NASA released the first images under the HiWish program, with the public suggesting places for HiRISE to photograph. One of the eight locations was Aureum Chaos. The first image below gives a wide view of the area. The next two images are from the HiRISE image.

• THEMIS image of wide view of following HiRISE images. Black box shows approximate location of HiRISE images. This image is just a part of the vast area known as Aureum Chaos. Click on image to see more details.

• Aureum Chaos, as seen by HiRISE, under the HiWish program.

• Close up view of previous image, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Small round dots are boulders.