HiPOD: Sunday, 4 June 2023
Light-Toned Rocks inside a Crater

Light-Toned Rocks inside a Crater
This approximately 20 kilometer diameter impact crater is located just to the south of Coprates Chasma in Valles Marineris.

Near the center of the crater are some light-toned rocks. These rocks are very jumbled and broken up rather than flat-lying and layered. These observations suggest that the light-toned rocks once existed below the current terrain and were brought up by the process that created the crater.

Several other craters around Valles Marineris also reveal light-toned rocks in their central peaks suggesting that the light-toned rocks are a regional unit that is buried beneath the lava plains that now surround Valles Marineris.

ID: ESP_017292_1680
date: 4 April 2010
altitude: 258 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_017292_1680
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #science #NASA

Black & white is less than 5 km across; enhanced color is less than 1 km. For full observation details, visit the ID link.