HiPOD: Sunday, 12 April 2020
Layering in an Exhumed Crater at Meridiani Planum

Layering in an Exhumed Crater at Meridiani Planum

Layering in an Exhumed Crater
This observation features an exhumed crater in Meridiani Planum, an equatorial region where the MER Rover Opportunity once explored.

An exhumed crater is one that formed a long time ago and was later infilled with materials and buried. Subsequent erosion has caused this crater to become exposed at the surface once again.

The crater interior contains a sequence of layers that are remnants of the material that originally filled the crater. The layers were deposited then became cemented as overlying layers pressed them down. The sequence of layers has not eroded evenly because different layer compositions and other factors, such as cementation and chemical alteration, can make certain locations more resistant to erosion.

ID: PSP_001374_1805
date: 11 November 2006
altitude: 267 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/PSP_001374_1805
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
#Mars #science #NASA

Black & white is less than 5 km across; enhanced color is less than 1 km. For full observation details, visit the ID link.