Medusae Fossae Formation
Large geological unit of uncertain origin on Mars / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Medusae Fossae Formation is a large geological formation of probable volcanic origin on the planet Mars.[1] It is named for the Medusa of Greek mythology. "Fossae" is Latin for "trenches". The formation is a collection of soft, easily eroded deposits that extends discontinuously for more than 5,000 km along the equator of Mars. Its roughly-shaped regions extend from just south of Olympus Mons to Apollinaris Patera, with a smaller additional region closer to Gale Crater.[2]
Coordinates | 3.2°S 163.0°W / -3.2; -163.0 |
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Length | 5,000 km |
The total area of the formation is equal to 20% the size of the continental United States.[3] It is divided into three subunits (members) that are all considered to be of Amazonian age, the youngest era in martian geological history.[4] The formation straddles the highland - lowland boundary near the Tharsis and Elysium volcanic areas, and extends across five quadrangles: Amazonis, Tharsis, Memnonia, Elysium, and Aeolis.