Isidis Planitia is a plain located within a giant impact basin on

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 ...

, located partly in the

Syrtis Major quadrangle The Syrtis Major quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The Syrtis Major quadrangle is also referred to as MC-13 (Mars Chart-13). The quadra ...

and partly in the Amenthes quadrangle. At approximately in diameter, it is the third-largest confirmed impact structure on the planet, after the Hellas and

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...

basins. Isidis was likely the last major basin to be formed on Mars, having formed approximately 3.9 billion years ago during the

Noachian The Noachian is a system (stratigraphy), geologic system and early geologic timescale, time period on the planet Mars characterized by high rates of meteorite and asteroid Impact event, impacts and the possible presence of abundant surface water. ...

period, by an impactor around in diameter. Due to dust coverage, it typically appears bright in telescopic views, and was mapped as a classical albedo feature, Isidis Regio, visible by

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...

in the pre-spacecraft era. A study reported in ''

Icarus In Greek mythology, Icarus (; , ) was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of King Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, Minos suspected that Icarus and Daedalu ...

'' described the complex geologic history of parts of Isidis, especially areas near the Deuteronilus contact. This contact is the supposed edge of a vast Martian ocean. The researchers found evidence of a Late Hesperian/Early Amazonian Sea in the area. The sea would have quickly frozen over. Eskers formed under the ice. Just to the west of Isidis is Syrtis Major Planum, a low-relief

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava ...

that is a prominent dark albedo feature of Mars, which formed after the basin. The westernmost extent is bounded by a subregion, Northeast Syrtis with diverse geology. Around the Isidis basin

magnesium carbonate Magnesium carbonate, (archaic name magnesia alba), is an inorganic salt that is a colourless or white solid. Several hydrated and Base (chemistry), basic forms of magnesium carbonate also exist as minerals. Forms The most common magnesium car ...

was found by the '' Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter''. This mineral indicates that water was present and that it was not acidic, pH conditions more favorable for the evolution of life. The name ''Isidis Planitia'' follows the earlier name ''Isidis Regio'' ('region of Isis').

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

is the Egyptian goddess of

heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

and

fertility Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, which is termed fecundity. The fertility rate ...

Gallery

Wikiarabiaboundaries.jpg, MOLA map showing boundaries of Isidis Planitia and other regions Syrtis-Isidis zoom 64 pano.jpg, MOLA colorized topographic map showing Isidis Planitia (right) and the adjacent low-relief shield volcano Syrtis Major Planum (left).

Beagle 2

The Beagle 2 lander was about to land in the eastern part of Isidis Planitia in December 2003, when contact with the craft was lost. In January 2015, NASA reported the Beagle 2 had been found on the surface in Isidis Planitia (location is about ). High-resolution images captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter identified the lost probe, which appears to be intact. ( see discovery images here)

Mars 2020 mission

In 2018 the Jezero (crater) in the north west rim of the Isidis basin was selected as a landing site for the

Mars 2020 Mars 2020 is a NASA mission that includes the rover ''Perseverance (rover), Perseverance'', the now-retired small robotic helicopter ''Ingenuity (helicopter), Ingenuity'', and associated delivery systems, as part of the Mars Exploration Progra ...

mission, including the

Perseverance rover ''Perseverance'' is a car-sized Mars rover designed to explore the Jezero (crater), Jezero crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. It was manufactured by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched on July 30, 2020, at 11:50 Coordin ...

References

External links

Google Mars zoomable map centered on Isidis Planitia
{{Portal bar, Solar System # Plains on Mars Syrtis Major quadrangle Amenthes quadrangle

Gallery

Beagle 2

Mars 2020 mission

See also

References

External links