The most habitable places on Mars now and in the past are underground, where water is or was much more stable than at the surface and protected from energetic particle radiation.

Large impact craters have central rebounds that uplift buried strata from miles below the surface. Often these central uplifts reveal colorful rocks with diverse minerals, including ones altered by prolonged contact with water.

Alga Crater is located in the southern highlands near a large flood-channel called Ladon Valles. The image cutout shows enhanced (infrared-shifted) color.

ID: ESP_060978_1555
date: 30 July 2019
altitude: 258 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_060978_1555
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #science #NASA