Sedimentary Mars
Explanation:
High-resolution imaging of an area in the Schiaparelli Basin of Mars
on June 3 by the MGS Mars Orbiter camera produced
this
stunning example
of layered formations within an old impact crater.
On planet Earth, such
structures
would be seen in
sedimentary rock
-- material deposited at the bottom of ancient lakes or oceans
and then subsequently weathered away to reveal the
layers.
With the Sun shining
from the left,
the central layer appears
to stand above the others within the 2.3 kilometer
wide crater.
The crater could well have been filled with water in
Mars' distant past, perhaps resting at the
the bottom of a lake filling the
Schiaparelli impact basin.
Still, such layers might also have been formed by material settling out
of the windy martian atmosphere.
As satellites continue to examine the martian surface from orbit,
NASA's
Spirit and Opportunity
spacecraft will attempt to land on
on Mars early next year to further explore the
tantalizing
history of water on the
Red Planet.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
