Site Name : Chryse Planitia
Type of Site: Lander
Latitude: 22.5∞ N
Longitude: 48.0∞ W
Elevation: 2.2 km above martian datum
Corresponding Map on "The Atlas of Mars": MC 10 NE
Viking Orbiter Images: 425B0, 8m/pxl; 452B09, 8m/pxl; 046A71, 39m/pxl; 020A48, 45m/pxl; 027A85, 41m/pxl; 060A32, 46m/pxl.
Smooth and featureless flood plains adjacent to major channel systems. Moderate number of 3 km craters, mare type wrinkle ridges, little variations in moderate albedo, craters od simple type. Numerous 1 km or less craters. Interepreted to be Hesperian in age.
The lander is located at 22.5∞ N, 48.0∞ W in an area which, from the orbiter, looks like a lunar mare. The region is almost featureless except for impact craters and wrinkle ridges that resemble in almost every detail those on the Moon. The density of impact craters in the 100 m to 2 km range is close to half the average for lunar maria. No traces can be seen of the large channels that scour the surface of Chryse Planitia 200 km to the southwest and trend toward the site. The plains appear volcanic, and the absence of fluvial features suggests either that the channels did not reach as far as the site or that fluvial features are covered by younger deposits.
The view of from the lander shows that the site has a generally rolling topography. The surface is strewn with rocks in the centimeter to meter size range. Between the rocks is mostly fine-grained (< 100 mm) material, which is also present as drift ranging in size up to 10 m accross and as tails behind rocks.
Several small areas interpreted as bedrock appear to be free of surficial debris. The rocks have a wide range of color, shape, and texture, probably reflecting variations in lithology and lenght of exposure at the surface. Most are angular with a coarsely pitted surface.
Fine-grained debris close to the surface is cemented (as well as in Viking 2 Landing Site) to form a crust a few millimeters thick. The cemented material, termed duricrust, was exposed beneath the spacecraft where it was swept free of fine debris by the rocket exhaust.
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