Sunday, March 28, 2010

Deformed Layered Sediments in Western Hellas Planitia


The western margin of Alpheus Colles (the large plateau in Hellas Planitia) is bound by a large depression that is the deepest point in the Hellas basin and also the lowest terrain on Mars.

This region is characterized by highly deformed layered sediment nicknamed "honeycomb" or "taffy pull" terrain. The origin of this unusual layered sediment is unknown, but it may be related to an ancient lake or ocean in Hellas.

Photo credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

No comments: