Hellespontus Montes

This view shows a portion of the western rim of the vast Hellas basin in the southern hemisphere of Mars. The crater shown in the upper left is on the periphery of the Hellas basin. The edge of the Hellas basin is traced by a string of rocky peaks known as the Hellespontus Montes, which runs roughly half way through the image from the edge of the large crater towards the right hand side of the scene. Many other interesting features can be seen: intricate valleys, dune fields and unusual deposits of dust-covered ice inside smaller craters.

The image was taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express on 13 January 2014 (orbit 12 750). The centre of the image is located at approximately 41°S/45°E, in the southern highlands of Mars. The image resolution is roughly 17 m per pixel. North is to the right, east is up.