This image was targeted on the floor of a 45-kilometer diameter crater in the ancient Southern Hemisphere highlands to look for interesting mineral compositions.

A nearby, smaller crater excavated exposed colorful bedrock from the larger crater’s floor, visible in another HiRISE observation. The different colors indicate varied mineral compositions. The relatively flat floor of this large crater is almost entirely covered in parallel linear dune-like features called “transverse aeolian ridges” (TAR). The colorful bedrock peeks through between the TAR and in exposed mounds throughout the crater floor.

Some of the larger TAR appear to have banding on one side possibly indicating layers of different compositions. The detailed scene is about 270 meters, or nearly three football fields wide.

ID: ESP_083631_1735
date: 29 May 2024
altitude: 263 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_083631_1735
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
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