Last updated on December 20, 2013 at 7:37 EST Pit Crater Chain
South of Arsia Mons ESP0116771655 3663 of 13064  Pit Crater
Chain South of Arsia Mons (ESP_011677_1655)  September 13, 2010
This contains a series of craters called pit chains; however
they are not formed by impact craters.  There are a few
potential ways that these are formed. The pit craters are
believed to form by the collapse of lava tubes or magma
chambers. They could also form when the crust of Mars gets
pulled apart by extensional forces from a growing volcano magma
chamber. This leaves structurally weak areas that have a greater
chance of collapsing when the area (lava tubes or magma chamber)
no longer contains molten lava or is drained from the chamber.
There is evidence that Mars is not the only planet that has
features like these. Earth also has similar pit chains that have
formed in Iceland. This chain was formed on a known fault line
and the pits formed when the region experienced an earthquake.
This process may be similar to the wa