A
close-up shows a field of mysterious mounds on Mars in an ancient crater, as
seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
MRO
zoomed in for a closer snapshot after an earlier image (172.57 degrees W,
11.60 degrees S) showed the mounds on the floor of the filled-in crater.
Planetary scientists still know little about how the mounds formed in the first
place, although the new image reveals textures similar to that of an eroded
bedrock surface.
Theories about the
formation of the mounds point to lava, impact debris or
sediments deposited by liquid water as the cause. Current missions such as the Phoenix
Mars Lander may uncover more about the history of water on Mars.
— NASA/JPL/University of Arizona and SPACE.com
Staff
Credit: NASA/JPL/University
of Arizona
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