HiPOD: Sunday, 30 July 2023
A Youthful Crater in the Cydonia Colles Region

A Youthful Crater in the Cydonia Colles Region
The central portion of this image is dominated by a sharp-rimmed crater that is roughly 5 kilometers in diameter. On its slopes, gullies show young (i.e., geologically recent) headward erosion, which is the lengthening of the gully in the upslope direction.

This crater is also remarkable for another reason. This image is part of a stereo pair, and the anaglyph of these images shows that the bottom of the crater contains a small mound. This mound hints at a possible complex crater, with the mound being a central uplift. Complex craters as small as this one are uncommon and such examples may provide clues to the lithology of the rocks underground and possibly to the impact process itself.

ID: ESP_027417_2200
date: 1 June 2012
altitude: 298 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_027417_2200
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.