# Sirenum Fossae

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sirenum_Fossae
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sirenum_Fossae.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirenum_Fossae
> Source revision: 1306901293
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Fossae on Mars

Sirenum Fossae Part of Sirenum Fossae based on THEMIS day-time image Coordinates 34°54′S 160°54′W / 34.9°S 160.9°W / -34.9; -160.9

**Sirenum Fossae** is a long [trough](/source/Trough_(geology)) in several quadrangles including [Memnonia quadrangle](/source/Memnonia_quadrangle) and [Phaethontis quadrangle](/source/Phaethontis_quadrangle) of [Mars](/source/Mars), centered at 35.57° south latitude and 197.26° west longitude.[1] Sirenum Fossae is 2,735 km long and was named after a classical albedo feature name.[2] Troughs on Mars like this one are called [Fossae](/source/Fossa_(geology)). Sirenum Fossae is believed to have formed by movement along a pair of [faults](/source/Fault_(geology)) causing a center section to drop down. This kind of feature is called a [graben](/source/Graben).

		- Map showing relative positions of Sirenum Fossae, [Atlantis Chaos](/source/Atlantis_Chaos), [Gorgonum Chaos](/source/Gorgonum_Chaos), [Magelhaens Crater](/source/Magelhaens_(Martian_crater)) and [Simois Colles](/source/Simois_Colles)

## Gullies

Main article: [Martian Gullies](/source/Martian_Gullies)

The pictures below show gullies in Sirenum Fossae. Gullies occur on steep slopes, especially on the walls of craters. Gullies are believed to be relatively young because they have few, if any craters. Moreover, they lie on top of sand dunes which themselves are considered to be quite young. Usually, each gully has an alcove, channel, and apron. Some studies have found that gullies occur on slopes that face all directions,[3] others have found that the greater number of gullies are found on poleward facing slopes, especially from 30-44 S.[4]

For years, many believed that gullies were formed by running water, but further observations demonstrate that they may be formed by frozen carbon dioxide ([dry ice](/source/Dry_ice)). Recent studies describe using the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on MRO to examine gullies at 356 sites, starting in 2006. Thirty-eight of the sites showed active gully formation. Before-and-after images demonstrated the timing of this activity coincided with seasonal carbon dioxide frost and temperatures that would not have allowed for liquid water. When dry ice frost changes to a gas, it may lubricate dry material to flow especially on steep slopes.[5][6][7] In some years frost, perhaps as thick as 1 meter, triggers avalanches. This frost contains mostly dry ice, but also has tiny amounts of water ice.[8]

		- Sirenum Fossae layers, as seen by [HiRISE](/source/HiRISE). Scale bar is 500 meters long.

		- MOLA context image for the series of three images to follow of gullies in a trough and nearby crater. This image shows where the image is in relation to Mariner Crater and Sirenum Fossae.

		- Gullies in a trough and nearby crater, as seen by HiRISE under the [HiWish program](/source/HiWish_program). Scale bar is 500 meters long.

		- Close-up of gullies in crater, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program.

		- Close-up of gullies in trough, as seen by HiRISE under the HiWish program. These are some of the smaller gullies visible on Mars.

		- Large pits in Sirenum Fossae, as seen by HiRISE under [HiWish program](/source/HiWish_program).

		- Sirenum Fossae, as seen by HiRISE.

## See also

- [Fossa (geology)](/source/Fossa_(geology))

- [Geology of Mars](/source/Geology_of_Mars)

- [HiRISE](/source/HiRISE)

- [HiWish program](/source/HiWish_program)

- [Martian Gullies](/source/Martian_Gullies)

- [Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter](/source/Mars_Orbiter_Laser_Altimeter) (MOLA)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Planetary Names: Fossa, fossae: Sirenum Fossae on Mars"](https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/5575). *planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov*. Retrieved 2017-12-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Planetary Names: Welcome"](https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov). *planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov*. Retrieved 2017-12-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Edgett, K.; Malin, M. C.; Williams, R. M. E.; Davis, S. D. (2003). ["Polar-and middle-latitude martian gullies: A view from MGS MOC after 2 Mars years in the mapping orbit"](http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2003/pdf/1038.pdf) (PDF). *Lunar Planet. Sci*. **34**. p. 1038, Abstract 1038. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2003LPI....34.1038E](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003LPI....34.1038E).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2007Icar..188..315D_4-0)** Dickson, J; Head, J; Kreslavsky, M (2007). ["Martian gullies in the southern mid-latitudes of Mars: Evidence for climate-controlled formation of young fluvial features based upon local and global topography"](https://www.planetary.brown.edu/pdfs/3138.pdf) (PDF). *Icarus*. **188** (2): 315–323. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2007Icar..188..315D](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007Icar..188..315D). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.icarus.2006.11.020](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.icarus.2006.11.020).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [NASA Spacecraft Observes Further Evidence of Dry Ice Gullies on Mars](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-226), July 10, 2014

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Activity in Martian Gullies](http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_032078_1420), 10 July 2014

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Gullies on Mars Carved by Dry Ice, Not Water](http://www.space.com/26534-mars-gullies-dry-ice.html)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Frosty Gullies on Mars](http://spaceref.com/mars/frosty-gullies-on-mars.html), August 14, 2014

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Sirenum Fossae](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sirenum_Fossae).

v t e Geography and geology of Mars Cartography Regions Abalos Undae Aspledon Undae Arabia Terra Cerberus Cydonia Eridania Lake Hyperboreae Undae Ogygis Undae Olympia Undae Planum Australe Planum Boreum Quadrangles Sinus Meridiani Siton Undae Tempe Terra Terra Cimmeria Terra Sabaea Tharsis Vastitas Borealis Quadrangles Aeolis Amazonis Amenthes Arabia Arcadia Argyre Casius Cebrenia Coprates Diacria Elysium Eridania Hellas Iapygia Ismenius Lacus Lunae Palus Mare Acidalium Mare Australe (South Pole) Mare Boreum (North Pole) Mare Tyrrhenum Margaritifer Sinus Memnonia Noachis Oxia Palus Phaethontis Phoenicis Lacus Sinus Sabaeus Syrtis Major Tharsis Thaumasia Geology Surface features Brain terrain Carbonates Chaos terrain Color Composition Concentric crater fill Dark slope streak Dichotomy Dune fields Hagal Nili Patera Fretted terrain Geysers Glaciers Groundwater Gullies Inverted relief Lakes Lava tubes Lineated valley fill (LVF) Lobate debris apron North Polar Basin Ocean hypothesis Ore resources Outflow channels Polar caps Ring mold craters Rootless cones Scalloped topography Seasonal flows Soil Spherules Surface Swiss cheese features Terrain softening Tholus Upper plains unit Valley networks Water discovery chronology Yardangs History Amazonian Hesperian Noachian Volcanology Observation history Canals (list) Classical albedo features Rocks observed Curiosity rover Bathurst Inlet Coronation Goulburn Hottah Jake Matijevic Link Rocknest Rocknest 3 Tintina Opportunity rover Bounce El Capitan Last Chance Sojourner rover Barnacle Bill Yogi Spirit rover Adirondack Home Plate Mimi Pot of Gold Viking Big Joe Other Face Monolith Meteorites found on Mars Block Island Heat Shield Mackinac Island Meridiani Planum Oileán Ruaidh Shelter Island Martian meteorites found on Earth Balsaltic Breccia Chassignites Nakhlites Shergottites Other List Topography Mountains, volcanoes (list by height) Acidalia Colles Alba Mons Anseris Mons Apollinaris Mons Ariadnes Colles Astapus Colles Ausonia Montes Avernus Colles Biblis Tholus Centauri Montes Charitum Montes Echus Montes Elysium Elysium Mons Albor Tholus Hecates Tholus Erebus Montes Galaxius Mons Hadriacus Mons Hellas Montes Jovis Tholus Libya Montes Mount Sharp Nereidum Montes Olympus Mons Phlegra Montes Syrtis Major Planum Tartarus Colles Tartarus Montes Tharsis Montes Ascraeus Pavonis Arsia Tharsis Tholus Tyrrhenus Mons Ulysses Tholus Uranius group Uranius Mons Ceraunius Tholus Uranius Tholus Plains, plateaus Acidalia Planitia Aeolis Palus Amazonis Planitia Arcadia Planitia Argentea Planum Argyre Planitia Chryse Planitia Daedalia Planum Elysium Planitia Eridania Planitia Hellas Planitia Hesperia Planum Icaria Planum Isidis Planitia Lunae Planum Meridiani Planum Oxia Planum Planum Australe Planum Boreum Syria Planum Syrtis Major Planum Utopia Planitia Eden Patera Orcus Patera Peneus Patera Pityusa Patera Siloe Patera Canyons, valleys Aram Chaos Arsia Chasmata Aromatum Chaos Atlantis Chaos Aureum Chaos Candor Chasma Chasma Boreale Coprates Chasma Echus Chasma Eos Chaos Eos Chasma Galaxias Chaos Ganges Chasma Gorgonum Chaos Hebes Chasma Hydaspis Chaos Hydraotes Chaos Iani Chaos Ister Chaos Ius Chasma Juventae Chasma Melas Chasma Ophir Chasma Tithonium Chasma List of valles Apsus Ares Arnus Asopus Athabasca Auqakuh Bahram Buvinda Dao Enipeus Frento Granicus Green Valley Harmakhis Hebrus Her Desher Hrad Huo Hsing Hypanis Iberus Indus Ituxi Kasei Labou Ladon Lethe Licus Louros Maʼadim Mad Maja Mamers Mangala Marineris Labes Marte Maumee Mawrth Minio Naktong Nanedi Niger Nirgal Padus Paraná Patapsco Peace Rahway Ravi Reull Sabis Sabrina Samara Scamander Shalbatana Simud Stura Tader Tinia Tinjar Tiu Tyras Uzboi ULM Vedra Verde Warrego Fossae, mensae, rupes, labyrinthi Amenthes Fossae Ceraunius Fossae Cerberus Fossae Coloe Fossae Cyane Fossae Elysium Fossae Hephaestus Fossae Icaria Fossae Labeatis Fossae Mangala Fossa Mareotis Fossae Medusae Fossae Memnonia Fossae Nili Fossae Olympica Fossae Oti Fossae Sirenum Fossae Tantalus Fossae Tempe Fossae Tithonium Fossae Tractus Fossae Ulysses Fossae Aeolis Mensae Ausonia Mensa Capri Mensa Cydonia Mensae Deuteronilus Mensae Ganges Mensa Nilosyrtis Mensae Protonilus Mensae Sacra Mensa Claritas Rupes Nilokeras Scopulus Olympus Rupes Rupes Tenuis Angustus Labyrinthus Noctis Labyrinthus Catenae, craters Artynia Catena Tithoniae Catenae Tractus Catena Adams Agassiz Airy Airy-0 Aniak Antoniadi Arandas Argo Arkhangelsky Arrhenius Asimov Bacolor Bakhuysen Baldet Baltisk Bamberg Barabashov Barnard Beagle Becquerel Beer Belz Bernard Bianchini Boeddicker Bok Bond Bonestell Bonneville Brashear Briault Burroughs Burton Campbell Canso Cassini Caxias Cerulli Chafe Chapais Chincoteague Chryse Alien Clark Coblentz Columbus Copernicus Corby Crewe Crivitz Crommelin Cruls Curie Da Vinci Danielson Darwin Davies Dawes Dejnev Denning Dilly Dinorwic Douglass Dromore Du Martheray Eagle (Acidalia Planitia) Eagle (Meridiani Planum) Eberswalde Eddie Ejriksson Emma Dean Endeavour Matijevic Hill Endurance Erebus Escalante Eudoxus Fenagh Fesenkov Firsoff Flammarion Flaugergues Focas Fontana Fournier Fram Freedom Galdakao Gale Galle Garni Gasa Gilbert Gill Gledhill Gold Graff Green Grindavik Gusev Apollo 1 Hills Chaffee Grissom White Columbia Hills Husband McCool Sleepy Hollow Hadley Haldane Hale Halley Hargraves Hartwig Heaviside Heimdal Heinlein Helmholtz Henry Herschel Hipparchus Holden Holmes Hooke Huggins Hussey Hutton Huxley Huygens Iazu Ibragimov Inuvik Janssen Jarry-Desloges Jeans Jezero Jezža Joly Jones Kaiser Keeler Kepler Kinkora Kipini Knobel Koga Korolev Kufra Kuiper Kunowsky Lambert Lamont Lampland Lassell Lau Le Verrier Li Fan Liais Lipik Liu Hsin Llanesco Lockyer Lod Lohse Lomonosov Louth Lowell Lyell Lyot Mädler Magelhaens Maggini Main Mandora Maraldi Mariner Marth Martz Masursky Maunder McLaughlin McMurdo Mellish Mendel Mie Milankovic Millochau Mitchel Miyamoto Mohawk Mojave Molesworth Montevallo Moreux Müller Nansen Nereus Newton Nhill Nicholson Niesten Nipigon Onon Orson Welles Oudemans Palana Pangboche Pasteur Penticton Perepelkin Peridier Persbo Pettit Phillips Pickering Playfair Pollack Poona Porter Porth Priestley Proctor Ptolemaeus Puńsk Quenisset Rabe Radau Rahe Rayleigh Redi Renaudot Reuyl Reynolds Richardson Ritchey Robert Sharp Roddenberry Ross Rossby Rudaux Russell Rutherford Sagan Saheki Santa Maria Schaeberle Schiaparelli Schmidt Secchi Semeykin Sharonov Sibu Sinton Sitka Sklodowska Slipher Smith South Spallanzani Srīpur Steno Stokes Stoney Suess Suzhi Tarsus Taytay Teisserenc de Bort Terby Thila Thira Tikhonravov Tikhov Timbuktu Tombaugh Tooting Trouvelot Troy Trud Trumpler Tugaske Tycho Brahe Tyndall Udzha Vernal Very Victoria Cape Verde Vinogradov Vinogradsky Virrat Vishniac Vogel Von Kármán Vostok Wallace Wegener Weinbaum Wells Williams Winslow Wirtz Wislicenus Wright Yuty Zumba Zunil

[Portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals):
- [Solar System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Solar_System)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sirenum Fossae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirenum_Fossae) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirenum_Fossae?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.