Gullies and Layers in Crater Wall in Newton
This dramatic view of gullies emergent from layered outcrops occurs on the wall of a crater within
the much larger impact basin, Newton. Newton Crater and its surrounding terrain exhibit many
examples of gullies on the walls of craters and troughs. The gullies exhibit meandering channels
with fan-shaped aprons of debris located downslope. The gullies are considered to have been
formed by erosion--both from a fluid (such as water) running downslope, and by slumping and
landsliding processes driven by the force of gravity. This picture was obtained by the Mars Global
Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) in March 2001; it is illuminated from the upper
left and covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) across.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
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