Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle
Map of Margartifer Sinus quadrangle from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data. The highest elevations are red and the lowest are blue.
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| Coordinates | 15°00′S 22°30′W / 15°S 22.5°WCoordinates: 15°00′S 22°30′W / 15°S 22.5°W |
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The Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle is also referred to as MC-19 (Mars Chart-19). The Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle covers the area from 0° to 45° west longitude and 0° to 30° south latitude on Mars. Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle contains Margaritifer Terra and parts of Xanthe Terra, Noachis Terra, Arabia Terra, and Meridiani Planum.
This quadrangle shows many signs of past water with evidence of lakes, deltas, ancient rivers, inverted channels, and chaos regions that released water. Margaritifer Sinus contains some of the longest lake-chain systems on Mars, perhaps because of a wetter climate, more groundwater, or some of each factor. The Samara/Himera lake-chain system is about 1800 km long; the Parara/Loire valley network and lake-chain system is about 1100 km long. A low area between Parana Valles and Loire Vallis is believed to have once held a lake. The 154 km diameter Holden Crater also once held a lake. Near Holden Crater is a graben, called Erythraea Fossa, that once held a chain of three lakes.
This region of Mars is famous because the Opportunity Rover landed there on January 25, 2004 at 1.94°S and 354.47°E (5.53° W). Russia's Mars 6 crash landed in Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle at 23.9 S and 19.42 W.
Map of Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle with major features labeled.
Opportunity Rover as seen by HiRISE on January 29, 2009. Opportunity is on its way to Endeavour Crater, 17 km away at this point (2.1° S and 354.5° E).
Location of Opportunity Rover on surface of Mars.
Mars Global Surveyor orbiter's photograph of landing site showing "hole in one."
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