Xanthe Terra is a large area on Mars, centered just north of the Martian equator. Its coordinates are 3°N 312°E / 3°N 312°E / 3; 312Coordinates: 3°N 312°E / 3°N 312°E / 3; 312 and it covers 2465 km at its broadest extent. Its name means "golden-yellow land." It is in the Lunae Palus quadrangle and the Oxia Palus quadrangle. Images from Mars Express, Mars Global Surveyor, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have revealed ancient river valleys and deltas. The deltas show many thin layers just as deltas on Earth. Scientists speculate that features in Xanthe Terra show evidence of precipitation on early Mars.
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Alluvial Fans in Mojave Crater, as seen by HiRISE. High ground is on the right. Branched network of channels runs from higher ground (crater rim) to lower ground.
Famous quotes containing the word terra:
“Treading the soil of the moon, palpating its pebbles, tasting the panic and splendor of the event, feeling in the pit of one’s stomach the separation from terra ... these form the most romantic sensation an explorer has ever known ... this is the only thing I can say about the matter. The utilitarian results do not interest me.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)