This image shows an impact crater in southern Elysium Planitia. This area was covered by a large flood of lava, which we see as the generally flat areas surrounding the crater. As the lava flowed across, some of it flowed into this crater through a low spot along the crater rim.

Once in the crater, the lava heated ground water or ground ice in the floor, causing the water to boil and turn into steam. This steam then exploded through the overlying lava and created small, ring-shaped formations. These are called ”rootless cones,” and they record the presence of ground water or ground ice in the crater floor at the time of the lava eruptions.

ID: ESP_088625_1810
date: 23 June 2025
altitude: 273 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_088625_1810
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
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