Lava Flows in IR Color

This image shows two representations of the same infrared image covering a portion of the Solis Planum region, southeast of the Tharsis volcanoes. On the left is a grayscale image showing surface temperature, and on the right is a false-color composite made from 3 individual THEMIS bands. The false-color image is colorized using a technique called decorrelation stretch (DCS), which emphasizes the spectral differences between the bands to highlight compositional variations.
Multiple layers of lava flows in this region show temperature differences, as well as some potential compositional differences. The temperature variations between these flows are likely caused by differences in their surface texture. The compositional variation could be due to differences in the make-up of the lava when it erupted onto the surface or might only reflect differences in the amount of dust covering these flows.