This crater just north of Ophir Cavus may have intact layering in its central uplift just as several other Valles Marineris craters do.

Is this a tell-tale sign that the events that built up this area were rapid enough to preserve layers beneath the surface from impact gardening? (This is the process where impacts have “stirred” the outermost crust of a celestial object with no atmosphere. On Mars, there is an atmosphere but it is very thin.) How do these layers compare to what is exposed elsewhere in Valles Marineris?

This caption is based on the science rationale for the observation.

ID: ESP_021551_1710
date: 2 March 2011
altitude: 261 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_021551_1710
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #science #NASA