The Beginning of Chaos

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/ASU

About this image

Today's VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater east of Aureum Chaos. This crater shows the early formation of chaos terrain within the crater fill materials. Chaos terrain is typified by mesas and valleys. With time and erosion the valleys widen and the mesas grow smaller.

Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.

Context

Latitude: -3.23794

Longitude: 336.272

Orbit Number: 106580

Captured: 2025-12-24 01:51

Posted to Web: Wed, 2026-08-19

Instrument: VIS

Image Width: 512 pixels (18 km)

Image Height: 1824 pixels (65 km)

Vertical Resolution: 0.03586 km/pixel

Horizontal Resolution: 0.0361199 km/pixel

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