Image Credit: NASA/JPL/ASU

Context image credit: NASA/JPL/MOLA
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Detailed information on this image is available at the THEMIS Data Releases website.

 

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

 

This image shows two representations of the same infra-red image in Hesperia Planum, west of Herschel Crater. 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.

The two primary compositions that cover most of Mars - dust and basalt (probably in the form of sand) - are well represented in this image. In this image, the dust is green in color and the basalt is pink/magenta. The strongest basaltic signatures appear in the bottoms of craters, which act as topographic traps for the sand. Green dust streaks appear behind many of the smaller craters. The topographic relief of the crater prevents the wind from cleansing the dust from the surface. These features enable the determination of the prevailing wind direction in the region.