Ceraunius Fossae
They lie directly south of the large volcano Alba Mons and consist of numerous parallel faults and tension cracks that deform the ancient highland crust.Graben (the name is both singular and plural) are long, narrow troughs bound by two inward-facing normal faults that enclose a downfaulted block of crust.The graben in the Ceraunius Fossae are commonly several kilometers wide, between 100 and slightly over 1000 m deep,[4] and very closely spaced, giving the terrain a rugged ridge and groove topography.[5] Most of the tectonic features in the western hemisphere of Mars are explained by crustal deformation from the Tharsis bulge (a huge volcanic mass up to 7 km high that covers nearly a quarter of the planet’s surface).Mechanical studies indicate that a regional pattern of radiating graben and rifts is consistent with stresses caused by loading of the lithosphere by the enormous weight of the Tharsis bulge.[16] Knowledge of the locations and formation mechanisms of pit craters and fossae is important for the future colonization of Mars because subsurface fractures may act as conduits or reservoirs for water and ice.
Alba MonsTharsis quadrangleMariner 9Tharsisvolcanofaultslava flowsgrabentopographypit crater chainsalbedo featureE. M. AntoniadiCeraunian MountainsEpirusGreeceAlbaniaplanetary geologyInternational Astronomical UnionArcadia quadrangleTantalus Fossaetectonicstresseslithosphereyield strengthmagmaticintrusionextensionalSyria PlanumMechanicalValles Marinerisstress fieldsTHEMISejecta blanketscrater chainsMars Global SurveyorHiRISEFossa (geology)Volcanism on MarsGeographygeologyAbalos UndaeAspledon UndaeArabia TerraCerberusCydoniaEridania LakeHyperboreae UndaeOgygis UndaeOlympia UndaePlanum AustralePlanum BoreumQuadranglesSinus MeridianiSiton UndaeTempe TerraTerra CimmeriaTerra SabaeaVastitas BorealisAeolisAmazonisAmenthesArabiaArcadiaArgyreCasiusCebreniaCopratesDiacriaElysiumEridaniaHellasIapygiaIsmenius LacusLunae PalusMare AcidaliumMare Australe (South Pole)Mare Boreum (North Pole)Mare TyrrhenumMargaritifer SinusMemnoniaNoachisOxia PalusPhaethontisPhoenicis LacusSinus SabaeusSyrtis MajorThaumasiaSurfacefeaturesBrain terrainCarbonatesChaos terrainCompositionConcentric crater fillDark slope streakDichotomyNili PateraFretted terrainGeysersGlaciersGroundwaterGulliesInverted reliefLava tubesLineated valley fillLobate debris apronNorth Polar BasinOcean hypothesisOre resourcesOutflow channelsPolar capsRing mold cratersRootless conesScalloped topographySeasonal flowsSpherulesSurfaceSwiss cheese featuresTerrain softeningTholusUpper plains unitValley networksdiscovery chronologyYardangsHistoryAmazonianHesperian