Erebus (crater)

Erebus is a crater lying situated within the Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle (MC-19) region of the planet Mars, this extraterrestrial geological feature was visited by the Opportunity rover on the way to the much larger crater Victoria. It is named after the polar exploration vessel HMS Erebus which was used by James Clark Ross in 1841 to discover the Great Ice Barrier, now known as the Ross Ice Shelf. The rover was in the immediate vicinity of the crater from approximately sol 550 to 750 (October 2005 to March 2006).

This crater features two other minor named outcrops on the edges of this topographical depression. These include Payson Ridge and Olympia Ridge (see gallery below).

Erebus is located roughly 2500 m south of the much smaller crater Vostok, which was previously visited by Opportunity. It is located within a type of terrain that a team of scientists led by J. M. Metz described as "etched terrain". The etched terrain is characterized by heavily eroded rocks that form polygonal structures separated by ridges and valleys.

Erebus is about 350 m wide, twice as large as the crater Endurance. However, it is very old and eroded, and is barely visible from the ground; it appears merely as a number of flat rocky outcrops encircling a region of dunes.

File:Payson Ridge, Erebus Crater, Mars Opportunity Rover.jpg|An outcrop named "Payson", on the western edge of Erebus. Image:PIA03621-Opportunity Rover-Olympia Panorama.jpg|"Olympia" outcrop on northwestern margin of Erebus Image:Erebus 360 L257atc-B652R1.jpg|Color panorama taken by Opportunity on the rim of Erebus. The crater itself can be seen in the center of the pan, at the top.