MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-427, 20 July 2003

Craters in the middle latitudes of Mars often have strangely-textured floors. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image of a crater near 40.2°N, 184.5°W provides an example. The original crater has been somewhat eroded and much of its interior has been filled with sediment since it formed. The origin of the strange texture is unknown; speculations about most mid-latitude textures tend to focus on the idea that, somehow, subliming ground ice may have been involved. The texture on the floor of the crater is similar to, but not quite the same as, the texture on the nearby surfaces to the north and south of the crater. This picture covers an area 1.4 km (0.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.