Ladon Basin was a large impact structure that was filled in by the deposits from Ladon Valles, a major ancient river on Mars.

These wet sediments were altered into minerals such as various clay minerals. Clays imply chemistry that may have been favorable for life on ancient Mars, if anything lived there, so this could be a good spot for future exploration by rovers and perhaps return of samples to Earth.

ID: ESP_013045_1615
date: 8 May 2009
altitude: 260 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_013045_1615
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
#Mars #science #NASA