Erebus is a

crater A crater is a landform consisting of a hole or depression (geology), depression on a planetary surface, usually caused either by an object hitting the surface, or by geological activity on the planet. A crater has classically been described ...

lying situated within the

Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle The Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle is one of a series of list of quadrangles on Mars, 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle is also referred ...

(MC-19) region of the planet

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, this extraterrestrial geological feature was visited by the ''Opportunity'' rover on the way to the much larger crater Victoria. It is named after the polar exploration vessel HMS ''Erebus'' which was used by

James Clark Ross Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer of both the northern and southern polar regions. In the Arctic, he participated in two expeditions led by his uncle, Sir John Ross, John ...

in 1841 to discover the ''Great Ice Barrier'', now known as the

Ross Ice Shelf The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (, an area of roughly and about across: about the size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than long, and between high ...

. The rover was in the immediate vicinity of the crater from approximately sol 550 to 750 (October 2005 to March 2006). This crater features two other minor named outcrops on the edges of this topographical depression. These include Payson Ridge and Olympia Ridge (see gallery below). Erebus is located roughly south of the much smaller crater Vostok, which was previously visited by ''Opportunity''. It is located within a type of terrain that a team of scientists led by J. M. Metz described as "etched terrain". The etched terrain is characterized by heavily eroded rocks that form polygonal structures separated by ridges and valleys. Erebus is about wide, twice as large as the crater

Endurance Endurance (also related to sufferance, forbearance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, persistence, tenacity, steadfastness, perseverance, stamina, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a ...

. However, it is very old and eroded, and is barely visible from the ground; it appears merely as a number of flat rocky outcrops encircling a region of

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

s. File:Payson Ridge, Erebus Crater, Mars Opportunity Rover.jpg, An outcrop named "Payson", on the western edge of Erebus. Image:PIA03621-Opportunity Rover-Olympia Panorama.jpg, "Olympia" outcrop on northwestern margin of Erebus Image:Erebus 360 L257atc-B652R1.jpg, Color panorama taken by ''Opportunity'' on the rim of Erebus. The crater itself can be seen in the center of the pan, at the top.

References

External links and further reading

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Structure and Sedimentology of the Western Margin of Erebus Crater, Meridiani Planum, MarsErebrus and Victoria by Mars Express HRSC + SRC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erebus (Crater) Impact craters on Mars Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle

See also

References

External links and further reading