HiRISE | Sedimentary Layers in Columbus Crater (PSP_010281

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Sedimentary Layers in Columbus Crater
PSP_010281_1510 Science Theme: Sedimentary/Layering Processes

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This image covers a portion of the northeast inner wall of Columbus Crater, located in the southern hemisphere of Mars and is approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) in diameter.

Layered sedimentary rocks are found on the crater walls and floor, and may have been deposited by water or by wind. These rocks have subsequently been eroded to expose their successive layers in cross-section. The near-infrared spectrometer CRISM has revealed that these layers contain various hydrated minerals.

Visible here is a north-facing slope (roughly 250 meters, or 800 feet, across) exposing finely layered sedimentary rock. In this false-color view, layers with a dark blue appearance may be intrinsically darker, or may have a texture that more effectively collects dark sand particles, than adjacent layers with a brighter appearance.

Written by: James Wray (17 December 2008)

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Acquisition date:	05 October 2008	Local Mars time:	3:42 PM
Latitude (centered):	-28.644 degrees	Longitude (East):	194.325 degrees
Range to target site:	256.0 km (160.0 miles)	Original image scale range:	25.6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~77 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale:	25 cm/pixel and North is up	Map projection:	EQUIRECTANGULAR
Emission angle:	0.5 degrees	Phase angle:	70.9 degrees
Solar incidence angle:	70 degrees, with the Sun about 20 degrees above the horizon	Solar longitude:	137.3 degrees, Northern Summer
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North azimuth:	97 degrees	Sub-solar azimuth:	38.0 degrees
For map-projected products
North azimuth:	270 degrees	Sub solar azimuth:	212.0 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

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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.