Eberswalde Crater is an approximately 65 kilometer diameter, closed basin crater. This image was targeted in the landing ellipse as a possible site for the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory mission.

The image shows resistant knobs and mounds and a scoured surface. The CRISM instrument onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has detected phyllosilicates (clays) in the region. Clays on Earth are often formed in the presence of water and occur in river deltas and lake beds. The delta and meandering channels in Eberswalde Crater (west of the landing ellipse) and the detection of phyllosilicates provides evidence for possible past water activity on Mars.

Written by: Jennifer Griffes

All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible: Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. The image data were processed using the U.S. Geological Survey’s ISIS3 software.