![]() Viking orbiter image mosaic of Hellas Planitia | |
Location | Hellas quadrangle, Mars |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°24′S 70°30′E / 42.4°S 70.5°E |
Diameter | 2,300 km (1,400 mi) |
Depth | 7,152 m (23,465 ft) |
Hellas Planitia /ˈhɛləs pləˈnɪʃiə/ is a plain located within the huge, roughly circular impact basin Hellas[a] located in the southern hemisphere of the planet Mars.[3] Hellas is the third- or fourth-largest known impact crater in the Solar System. The basin floor is about 7,152 m (23,465 ft) deep, 3,000 m (9,800 ft) deeper than the Moon's South Pole-Aitken basin, and extends about 2,300 km (1,400 mi) east to west.[4][5] It is centered at 42°24′S 70°30′E / 42.4°S 70.5°E.[3] It features the lowest point on Mars, serves as a known source of global dust storms, and may have contained lakes and glaciers.[6] Hellas Planitia spans the boundary between the Hellas quadrangle and the Noachis quadrangle.
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