Schaeberle is a large impact crater in the Southern Hemisphere of Mars, stretching nearly 159 kilometers (100 miles). This HIRISE image reveals the dramatic contrast on the crater floor.

The light-colored, rough surface is covered with small impact craters, showing that this landscape has been exposed for a long time. Resting on top of this older terrain are smooth, dark dunes that formed by wind-blown sand.

Even this small section of Schaeberle’s floor tells a long story of change. The older, cratered surface records a distant past, whereas the dunes tell us that wind helped to shape the surface more recently. Together, these features provide a glimpse into the geologic history of Schaberele Crater.

ID: ESP_043582_1555
date: 13 November 2015
altitude: 254 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_043582_1555
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
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