This image shows the intersection of two overlapping craters, although it is unknown which of the two formed first.

The two craters are covered in a mantling material, which gives them a smooth appearance. The mantling unit is thought to be water ice-rich. Concentric circles are visible on the floor of one crater. It is likely that these circles are evidence of ice-rich material that flowed off the crater wall, driven by gravity, onto the crater floor.

Outside of the craters, the plains have a pitted or dissected texture. Both of these textures are suggestive of material that once held ice that has since disappeared allowing the remaining soil to collapse into the subsurface. There are also dark dust devil tracks across the scene.
Written by: Kelly Kolb

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.