| Mesas and troughs in Nilosyrtis region, Mars
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a region of
flat-topped mesas separated by valleys or troughs of similar depth and width. The valley floors
have been covered by a material that has subsequently developed thin cracks and collapse pits
aligned along some of these cracks. A few outcrops of layered material occur in the valleys as well.
The valleys probably originally formed by faulting; the origin of the mantling material is
unknown. The image covers an area approximately 2.3 km (1.4 miles) wide and was acquired in
May 2001. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
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