MOLA High Resolution Shaded Relief Maps

Using MOLA data through June of 2000, the MOLA Science Team has produced very high resolution topographic shade maps of Mars. These files are shown below as low resolution JPEGs and are downloadable as higher resolution TIFFs. The global maps have a resolution 0.125° (300 dots per inch) and subtend a width of 9.6 inches. Polar views are in a polar stereographic projection and have a resolution of 300 or 600 m. The MOLA instrument resolves slopes on Mars to no worse than 1 part in 1000 on any length scale greater than about 330 meters, and so digital images made from the elevations are able to resolve subtle slopes that are not visible in camera images. See, for instance, the rich detail in the northern hemisphere lowlands, which appear mostly featureless in previous global-scale image mosaics of Mars.

The MOLA shaded relief images are suitable for use as a background map for publication-quality graphics. The grayscale maps are produced as a gradient from 30° clockwise from the top of the rectangle, then normalized by an arctangent function. These maps subsequently are merged with topographic color contours to produce images using the Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) free software of Wessel and Smith.

Technical information on the production of MOLA shaded relief maps can be obtained from:

Neumann, G.A., D.D. Rowlands, F.G. Lemoine, D.E. Smith and M.T. Zuber, Crossover analysis of MOLA altimetric data, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 23,753-23,768, 2001.


CED Grayscale from 0 to 360°E

(Credit: MOLA Science Team)

Stretched CED Color from 180°W to 180°E

(Credit: MOLA Science Team)

Polar stereographic 54°N

(Credit: MOLA Science Team)

Polar stereographic 54°S

(Credit: MOLA Science Team)

Polar stereographic 54°N grayscale shaded from 030°

(Credit: MOLA Science Team)

Polar stereographic 54°S grayscale shaded from 030°

(Credit: MOLA Science Team)

Polar stereographic 72°N grayscale shaded from 030°

(Credit: MOLA Science Team)

Polar stereographic 72°S grayscale shaded from 030°

(Credit: MOLA Science Team)

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Direct inquiries to: dsmith@tharsis.gsfc.nasa.gov