The full range of the image shows clear evidence for a thick series of bedrock layers along the walls of Ganges Mensa, located in the Ganges Chasma portion of the large Valles Marineris chasm system.

These layers are of relatively uniform thickness and can be followed over long distances. The walls have weathered into a series of ridges where the layers can be traced laterally across the topography. The depressions between the ridges are partially filled with wind-blown sediments that form distinct dune fields.

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.