Aureum Chaos

In planetary nomenclature, the descriptor term chaos means "distinctive area of broken terrain". The general morphology of chaos is steep-sided mesas in close proximity. The initial breakup of the land is due to tectonic forces. With time and erosion the valleys widen and the mesas grow smaller. This image shows a cross section of Aureum Chaos and the different scales of the mesas are readily visible. The bright materials are layered deposits of a different material than the rest of the chaos.