The Atlas of Mars: Mapping its Geography and Geology

Planetary scientist and educator Ken Coles has teamed up with Ken Tanaka from the United States Geological Survey's Astrogeology team, and Phil Christensen, Principal Investigator of the Mars Odyssey orbiter's THEMIS science team, to produce this all-purpose reference atlas, The Atlas of Mars. Each of the thirty standard charts includes: a full-page color topographic map at 1:10,000,000 scale, a THEMIS daytime infrared map at the same scale with features labeled, a simplified geologic map of the corresponding area, and a section describing prominent features of interest. The Atlas is rounded out with extensive material on Mars' global characteristics, regional geography and geology, a glossary of terms, and an indexed gazetteer of up-to-date Martian feature names and nomenclature. This is an essential guide for a broad readership of academics, students, amateur astronomers, and space enthusiasts, replacing the NASA atlas from the 1970s.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Acknowledgements; How to use this Atlas; 1. Introduction; 2. History of exploration of Mars; 3. Global character of Mars; 4. Regional geographic features and surface views of Mars; 5. Geology of Mars; 6. Map sheets 1-30; Appendices: units on geologic map of Mars; Unit conversions; Abbreviations; Glossary of terms; Latin descriptors; Gazetteer; References; Sources of images; Index.

About the Author :
Kenneth S. Coles is Associate Professor and Planetarium Director at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. An award winning teacher, he has dedicated his career to sharing planetary science and geology discoveries with university students, schoolchildren, and the public. Kenneth L. Tanaka is a geologist retired from the US Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. He has thirty-five years of experience in the geologic mapping of Mars, informing NASA's exploration missions, and has received the US Department of Interior's Distinguished Service Award. Philip R. Christensen is Regents' Professor of Planetary Geoscience at Arizona State University. He is the Principal Investigator for the Mars Odyssey THEMIS instrument and has received the Geological Society of America's G. K. Gilbert Award, NASA's Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, and NASA's Public Service Medal.

Review :
'In The Atlas of Mars, Coles, Tanaka, and Christensen take us on a comprehensive, informative, and up-to-date tour of the geography and geology of the Red Planet. Focusing on the critical role of impact, volcanic, tectonic, and erosional processes on shaping the history and evolution of Mars, these expert authors do an outstanding job of proving the value of fusing results from the wide variety of remote sensing measurements of Mars from flybys, orbiters, and surface landers/rovers. The Atlas of Mars is an important reference for students and professional planetary scientists as well as an educational and richly illustrated book that many general space enthusiasts will surely enjoy.' Jim Bell, Planetary scientist, author, and editor of The Martian Surface: Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Properties 'A remarkably comprehensive up-to-date portrayal of our current knowledge of the Martian surface after fifty years of spacecraft exploration from both orbit and the ground. It is all here: maps of topography, geology, mineralogy, thermal properties, magnetic anomalies, gravity, near-surface water-ice, and so forth, all accompanied by explanatory texts. A must-have for any student of the planet, whether lay or professional.' Michael Carr, United States Geological Survey 'NASA published an atlas of Mars in 1979, a collection of maps by the US Geological Survey. Since then, most maps of Mars have been published individually, and a collection of maps like this beautiful new book is long overdue. This Atlas of Mars is richly illustrated to portray the entire planet and includes an authoritative summary of its geology and history written by experts in the field. Global maps give us context and detailed maps covering the whole planet in thirty sections provide much more detail. Add to that a nice summary of Mars exploration and we have an excellent resource for researchers and Mars enthusiasts alike. There are no comparable books on the market, so I will recommend it to everyone looking for a guide to the Red Planet.' Philip Stooke, University of Western Ontario 'In the last two decades, our scientific understanding of Mars' geology and evolutionary history has exploded both in depth and in breadth. The Atlas of Mars by Coles, Tanaka, and Christensen provides an elegant compendium of this new knowledge through maps, images, and detailed discussions on both global and local scales. The comprehensive set of maps of a wide array of parameters, ranging from geography and geology to composition and mineralogy to topography and crustal structure, will offer rich new insights to planetary experts, students, and interested public alike.' Laurence A. Soderblom,, United States Geological Survey 'This is a splendid coffee-table Mars atlas, beautifully printed and with full use of the large page size. Its intended readers, apart from the obvious specialist, are described by its authors as 'scientists from other fields, interested non-scientists and persons who wonder what all the missions to Mars have told us.' Being a well-informed and comprehensive guide, this is far more than just a collection of maps, lists and pictures, and I warmly commend it to readers.' Richard McKim, The Observatory '… the atlas [of Mars: Mapping its Geography and Geology] serves as both a searchable database and an up-to-date summary of our current understanding of the Martian surface. Whether readers zoom in on their favorite area or zoom out to get the big picture, they won't be disappointed.' B. M. Simonson, Choice 'While this atlas is generally meant for specialists with ready knowledge, accommodation is made for others as well. Hence the Gazetteer at the back for locating known features, the Latin feature designations and glossary of geological terms are a boon to the curious, non-specialist readers. It is a fountain of information, this atlas. A perfect one-stop for anyone and everyone who wishes to learn something new and/or enhance their current understanding about the red planet.' B. Ishak, Contemporary Physics 'For those interested in the geography and geology of the planet Mars, this Atlas is a must have. It is a valuable resource for anyone craving in-depth terrestrial data and more stunning landscape imagery from the red planet. Not since NASA's 1979 Atlas of Mars, a collection of maps by the US Geological Survey, has there been such a well-organised, comprehensive, up-to-date overview of our current understanding of the Martian surface.' Jon W. Elvert, Planetarian 'Mars has now been mapped in detail based on spacecraft data, resulting in the remarkable publication of The Atlas of Mars at a 1:10,000,000 scale.' Steven J. Dick, Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage