Mars Regional Names: MOLA Global Topographic Map

Caption

Mars Regional Names: MOLA Global Topographic Map. U.S. Geological Survey, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Topography from NASA’s Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA).

Catalog notes

This global map combines regional names with the elevation pattern measured by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter. The contrast between low northern plains, southern highlands, enormous volcanic rises and deep impact basins is made visible through a common color scale. Separate polar panels extend the equatorial view and demonstrate how mapmakers combine projections to describe a whole planet. Because names such as Hellas Planitia and Valles Marineris are placed directly on the terrain, the sheet links scientific measurement with the vocabulary used to locate and compare Martian landscapes.

Original catalog record, source and attribution