Volcanic Vents North of Rachmaninoff Crater

This beautiful view of the volcanic vents located to the north of the Rachmaninoff basin gives a new perspective on the area. At center, a vent is located within the bright pyroclastic deposit that is thought to have erupted from the vent. An older vent is also seen toward the bottom right as an irregularly shaped depression, though it has no clear surrounding deposit. The oblique angle of the image allows a view of the eastern walls of these features.

Date acquired: August 23, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 19543205
Image ID: 4683301
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: 35.77°
Center Longitude: 63.90° E
Scale: The central vent is approximately 36 km (22 mi.) across.

Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington