# Amazonis Planitia > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Amazonis_Planitia > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Amazonis_Planitia.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazonis_Planitia > Source revision: 1333169294 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Planitia on Mars Amazonis Planitia Topographic map of Amazonis Planitia. MOLA colorized relief map of Amazonis Planitia. Colors indicate elevation, with red highest, yellow intermediate, and green/blue lowest. Coordinates 24°48′N 196°00′E / 24.8°N 196.0°E / 24.8; 196.0 **Amazonis [Planitia](/source/Planitia)** ([/əˈmæzənɪs pləˈnɪʃiə/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English), Latin *Amāzŏnis*) is one of the smoothest plains on [Mars](/source/Mars). It is located between the [Tharsis](/source/Tharsis) and [Elysium](/source/Elysium_Planitia) volcanic provinces, to the west of [Olympus Mons](/source/Olympus_Mons), in the [Amazonis](/source/Amazonis_quadrangle) and [Memnonia quadrangles](/source/Memnonia_quadrangle), centered at [24°48′N 196°00′E / 24.8°N 196.0°E / 24.8; 196.0](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Amazonis_Planitia¶ms=24.8_N_196_E_globe:Mars). The plain's topography exhibits extremely smooth features at several different lengths of scale.[1] A large part of the [Medusae Fossae Formation](/source/Medusae_Fossae_Formation) lies in Amazonis Planitia. Its name derives from one of the [classical albedo features](/source/Classical_albedo_features) observed by early astronomers, which was in turn named after the [Amazons](/source/Amazons), a mythical race of warrior women. ## Age and composition Only approximately 100 million years old, these plains provide some of the fewest [sedimentary layers](/source/Sedimentary_layer) impeding viewing of the Martian terrain, and closely resemble the composition of [Iceland](/source/Iceland). Formed by free-flowing [lava](/source/Lava) across great plains, Amazonis has been described by [William Hartmann](/source/William_Kenneth_Hartmann) as a "bright dusty volcanic desert crossed by many fresh-looking lava flows."[2] Amazonis has become the primary focus of modern research efforts both because of its geological composition and because of its relative youth compared to other Martian regions, which are often hundreds of millions of years older.[3] Hartmann writes that the plain closely resembles Iceland's surface, with its "strange cobweb-like networks of ridges and crags [on both planets, divide] smoother areas into a pattern something like fragments of a broken plate." Both land masses' shapes have been formed by lava flows from volcanic eruptions, causing both surfaces to be covered by a thick layer of hardened lava. Findings from aerial footage of both Amazonis and Iceland have shown nearly identical terrain patterns, signifying the comparative ages of the two regions.[4] The entire contemporary era on Mars has been named the [Amazonian Epoch](/source/Amazonian_(Mars)) because researchers originally believed Amazonis Planitia to be representative of all Martian plains. Instead, over the past two decades, researchers have realized that the area's youth and smooth surface distinguish the area from its neighbors.[5] Although the full implications of Amazonis's youth have not yet been determined, the nature of the area (i.e. lack of sedimentary rock) has at least provided researchers evidence that the areas are the most likely to provide future discoveries, and as such, has been proposed as a future site for most NASA landings.[6] ## See also - [Amazonian (Mars)](/source/Amazonian_(Mars)) - [Dark slope streaks](/source/Dark_slope_streaks) - [Geography of Mars](/source/Geography_of_Mars) - [List of plains on Mars](/source/List_of_plains_on_Mars) - [Medusae Fossae Formation](/source/Medusae_Fossae_Formation) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** E. R. Fuller and J. W. Head, III, ["GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF THE SMOOTHEST PLAINS ON MARS (AMAZONIS PLANITIA) AND ASTROBIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS."](http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2002/pdf/1539.pdf) Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIII (2002). URL accessed 19 April 2006. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Hartmann, William. A Traveler's Guide to Mars: The Mysterious Landscapes of the Red Planet. Workman Publishing: New York, 2003. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Hartmann, 275. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Hartmann, 286. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Fuller, E.R. and J.W. Head III (2002), Amazonis Planitia: The role of geologically recent volcanism and sedimentation in the formation of the smoothest plains on Mars. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Hartmann, 287. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Amazonis Planitia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Amazonis_Planitia). - [Google Mars zoomable map centered on Amazonis Planitia](http://www.google.com/mars/#lat=20.468189&lon=-128.671875&q=Amazonis%20Planitia) - [HiRISE image of faulting in Amazonis Planitia](https://web.archive.org/web/20070206134933/http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/PSP/PSP_001578_2000/) v t e Mars Outline of Mars Geography Atmosphere Circulation Climate Dust devil tracks Methane Regions Arabia Terra Cerberus (Mars) Cydonia Eridania Lake Iani Chaos Olympia Undae Planum Australe Planum Boreum Quadrangles Sinus Meridiani Tempe Terra Terra Cimmeria Terra Sabaea Tharsis Undae Ultimi Scopuli Vastitas Borealis Physical features "Canals" (list) Canyons Catenae Chaos terrain Craters Fossae Gullies Mensae Labyrinthi Mountains by height Observed rocks Outflow channels Plains Valley network Valleys Gravity Geology Brain terrain Carbonates Chaos terrain Color Composition Concentric crater fill Dark slope streak Dichotomy Fretted terrain Geysers Glaciers Groundwater Gullies Lakes Lava tubes Lobate debris apron Marsquake Meteorites on Earth on Mars Mud cracks North Polar Basin Ocean hypothesis Ore resources Polar caps polar wander Recurring slope lineae (RSL) Ring mold craters Rootless cones Seasonal flows Soil Spherules Surface "Swiss cheese" feature Terrain softening Tharsis bulge Volcanism Water Yardangs History Pre-Noachian Noachian Hesperian Amazonian Observation history Classical albedo features Astronomy Moons Phobos Stickney crater Limtoc crater Monolith Deimos Swift crater Voltaire crater Transits Solar eclipses on Mars Satellite transits Phobos Deimos Planetary transits Earth Mercury Asteroids Impacts Mars-crossers 2007 WD5 Trojans 5261 Eureka 1998 VF31 1999 UJ7 2007 NS2 Comets C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) General Orbit Exploration Concepts Flyby Orbiter Landing Rover Sample return Human mission Permanent settlement Colonization Terraforming Missions List of missions to Mars Advocacy The Mars Project The Case for Mars Inspiration Mars Foundation Mars Institute Mars Society Mars race Related Artificial objects on Mars Memorials on Mars Fiction List of films set on Mars Martian scientist Mythology Flag of Mars Life on Mars Sub-Earth Timekeeping on Mars Sol (day on Mars) Darian calendar Category Solar System portal [Portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals): - [Solar System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Solar_System) Authority control databases: National United States Israel --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Amazonis Planitia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazonis_Planitia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazonis_Planitia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.