Ceraunius Fossae is well-known for having thousands of normal faults, a few of which are visible in this observation. Winding channels thought to have formed by streams are also common in this area.

What is surprising is the group of ring-shaped mounds. How these landforms develop is somewhat of a mystery, and they may be related to steam explosions below active lava flows or eruptions of mud from deep underground. Numerous examples of ring-shaped mounds have been observed elsewhere on Mars, but such mounds have never been observed in this area. Further study of these newly discovered features may help unravel more details of Mars’ geologic history.

ID: ESP_086815_2115
date: 1 February 2025
altitude: 286 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_086815_2115
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #science #NASA