HiRISE | Stair-Stepped Mounds in Meridiani Planum (PSP_008930

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Stair-Stepped Mounds in Meridiani Planum
PSP_008930_1880 Science Theme: Tectonic Processes

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This image shows layered sedimentary rocks that fill an impact crater in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars.

These layered rocks may have formed through the accumulation of sediment (sand and dust) that were transported into this crater by blowing wind or flowing water. These sediments formed an extensive deposit that once covered the floor of the surrounding impact crater.

This crater is so large that the HiRISE image is entirely within it, and the crater rim is not visible. These sedimentary rocks were then eroded, likely by the wind. The original sand and dust were deposited in distinct layers within the crater; these layers now give the mounds their distinctive stair-stepped appearance, and are all that remain from this once extensive deposit.

Written by: Chris Okubo (6 August 2008)

This is a stereo pair with PSP_008205_1880.

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Acquisition date:	22 June 2008	Local Mars time:	3:15 PM
Latitude (centered):	7.7 degrees	Longitude (East):	353.2 degrees
Range to target site:	282.3 km (176.4 miles)	Original image scale range:	28.2 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~85 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale:	25 cm/pixel and North is up	Map projection:	EQUIRECTANGULAR
Emission angle:	13.8 degrees	Phase angle:	61.4 degrees
Solar incidence angle:	50 degrees, with the Sun about 40 degrees above the horizon	Solar longitude:	88.7 degrees, Northern Spring
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North azimuth:	98 degrees	Sub-solar azimuth:	33.3 degrees
For map-projected products
North azimuth:	270 degrees	Sub solar azimuth:	206.5 degrees

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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

Postscript
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.