Mars Places #15: Chryse Planitia
Chryse Planitia
Description: Chryse Planitia is a smooth plain in Mars' northern lowlands, site of Viking 1 landing in 1976. Spanning 1600 km, it's a sedimentary basin filled by outflows from Valles Marineris, with wrinkle ridges and outflow channels like Kasei Vallis. Likely an ancient ocean floor, it has basaltic rocks and evidence of catastrophic floods.
How I Got My Name: Named 'Golden Plain' from Greek mythology, referring to a legendary island rich in gold.
Interesting Fact: First successful Mars landing by Viking 1, which operated for 6 years, analyzing soil and searching for life; images showed rocky terrain, and data confirmed water-carved features from massive floods 3.5 billion years ago.
Location: Centered at 28.4° N, 40.2° W.
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