5 May 2004
Most middle-latitude craters on Mars have strange landforms on their floors. Often, the floors have pitted and convoluted features that lack simple explanation. In this case, the central part of the crater floor shown in this 2004 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image bears some resemblance to the folded nature of a brain. Or not. It depends upon the "eye of the beholder," perhaps. The light-toned "ring" around the "brain" feature is more easily explained--windblown ripples and dunes. The crater occurs near 33.1°S, 91.2°W, and is illuminated from the upper left. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across.