Sunday, March 30, 2014

Pitted Mound in Northeast Arabia Terra


This fascinating observation shows us a dark-toned mound with pits inside an impact crater. Are these pits the result of sublimation?

The crater itself is an ancient one, as evidenced by the eroded rim. For the mound inside, HiRISE resolution can give us a closer look at textural features that might help explain what we're looking at: layers in pit walls, or perhaps cracks from expansion?

This is a stereo pair with ESP_034324_2040.

Photo credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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