This image features arcuate ridges in the high northern plains. It has been suggested that arcuate ridges were formed by ancient glaciers on Mars.

The plains surrounding the arcuate ridges have two textures. The plains on the left half of the image have linear streaks trending from the top to the bottom. These might have been caused by wind moving material. The plains on the right side have more of a pitted texture that was probably caused by the removal of ground ice.

There are two craters in the center of the image. One formed on top of a ridge, while the other (faint circular feature) appears to be getting exposed by erosion.

Written by: Kelly Kolb

All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible: Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. The image data were processed using the U.S. Geological Survey’s ISIS3 software.