This HiRISE image shows a flat plain with various low, lumpy mounds. Some of them have distinct colors and tones unlike the surrounding plains, suggesting that they are made up of a different type of material.

While the origin of these mounds is not certain, one idea that seems to fit best is that they are deposits left after eruptions of wet sediments onto the surface. This can happen when thick deposits of wet sand and mud are shaken, say from a meteorite impact, and the ground briefly loses its strength, allowing dirty water to be expelled from the deposit. On Earth, this process of “liquefaction” can happen during earthquakes.

If this hypothesis is correct, it means that these mounds provide samples of a potentially habitable environment that we would otherwise need massive drills to reach.

ID: ESP_071462_2245
date: 24 October 2021
altitude: 304 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_071462_2245
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
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