Layered Bedrock
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Layered Bedrock
ESP_059289_1890  Science Theme: Sedimentary/Layering Processes
This un-named crater in southwestern Arabia Terra contains a treasure!

Layered sediments are the key to the puzzle of Martian history. They tell us about the conditions that existed when the sediments were deposited, and how they changed over time.

This image shows an eroded mesa made up of rhythmically layered bedrock that seems to indicate cyclic deposition. The layers are accentuated by recent dark sand deposits that have accumulated on the benches of the brighter sediments. The plateau is topped by a younger set of layers that appear to be finer and less blocky than the older layers below, suggesting a different depositional environment. Similar layered sediments are found in nearby craters in southwestern Arabia Terra.

This image was requested by a member of the public who is interested in these deposits and will study them further by making a digital elevation model and measuring the thickness of the layers. Everyone is welcome to suggest interesting targets for HiRISE observations!

Written by: Paul Geissler (narration: Tre Gibbs)  (17 November 2021)
 
Acquisition date
21 March 2019

Local Mars time
14:08

Latitude (centered)
8.746°

Longitude (East)
358.152°

Spacecraft altitude
275.0 km (170.9 miles)

Original image scale range
27.5 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~82 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
1.5°

Phase angle
34.8°

Solar incidence angle
33°, with the Sun about 57° above the horizon

Solar longitude
358.9°, Northern Winter

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  96°
Sub-solar azimuth:  350.7°
JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (481MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (291MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (211MB)
non-map           (272MB)

IRB color
map projected  (71MB)
non-map           (234MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (125MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (119MB)

RGB color
non map           (229MB)
ANAGLYPHS
Map-projected, reduced-resolution
Full resolution JP2 download
Anaglyph details page

BONUS
4K (TIFF)
8K (TIFF)
10K (TIFF)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
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:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
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. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.