This image shows an unnamed, bowl-shaped impact crater located in the Southern Highlands. The crater is approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) in diameter and 600 meters (2,000 feet) deep.

The colors depicted in this image are not those we would see with our naked eyes. An infrared band and two visible bands (red and blue-green, respectively) have been combined to produce this false-color image. False color combinations are often utilized to look for subtle compositional differences that may not be evident in true color images.

This subimage (enhanced to exaggerate color contrast) shows part of the north-facing walls of the crater, deeply carved by landslides. Rocky layers, mostly purplish in color, can be followed for hundreds of meters, poking through the loose materials that cover the slopes. Locally, the rocky layers show patches of diverse colors (blue, green, yellow.) These colors may be indicative of compositional differences in the rocky layers.
Written by: Sara Martinez-Alonso

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.