Syrtis Major Planum

Syrtis Major
	Mars digital-image mosaic merged with color of the MC-13 quadrangle, Syrtis Major region of Mars.
Feature type	Shield volcano
Coordinates	8°24′N 69°30′E / 8.4°N 69.5°E
Diameter	~1 300 km
Peak	~2.3 km
Discoverer	Christiaan Huygens
Eponym	Gulf of Sidra

Syrtis Major Planum (formerly Syrtis Major Planitia) is a massive shield volcano in the eastern hemisphere of Mars. A "dark spot" (an albedo feature), Syrtis Major Planum is located in the boundary between the northern lowlands and southern highlands of Mars just west of the impact basin Isidis in the Syrtis Major quadrangle. It was formerly believed to be a plain, and was therefore described as a planitia; later data from the Mars Global Surveyor revealed that it is actually a broad topographic rise.^[2] The dark color of Syrtis Major Planum comes from the basaltic volcanic rock of the region and the relative lack of dust.

The selected landing site for the Mars 2020 mission that includes the rover Perseverance and the helicopter drone Ingenuity was Jezero crater (at 18°51′18″N 77°31′08″E / 18.855°N 77.519°E / 18.855; 77.519)^[3] within the region.^[4] The northeastern region of Syrtis Major Planum was also considered a potential landing site.

^ Cite error: The named reference THEMIS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Hiesinger, H.; Head, J. W. (8 January 2004). "The Syrtis Major volcanic province, Mars: Synthesis from Mars Global Surveyor data". Journal of Geophysical Research. 109 (E1): E01004. Bibcode:2004JGRE..109.1004H. doi:10.1029/2003JE002143. E01004.
^ Cite error: The named reference HR-20080606 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference NASA-20150304 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[THEMIS-1] Cite error: The named reference THEMIS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Hiesinger2004-2] Hiesinger, H.; Head, J. W. (8 January 2004). "The Syrtis Major volcanic province, Mars: Synthesis from Mars Global Surveyor data". Journal of Geophysical Research. 109 (E1): E01004. Bibcode:2004JGRE..109.1004H. doi:10.1029/2003JE002143. E01004.

[HR-20080606-3] Cite error: The named reference HR-20080606 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[NASA-20150304-4] Cite error: The named reference NASA-20150304 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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