PIA06328: South Polar Erosion
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the results of erosion acting upon a layer of material in the south polar region of Mars. The elliptical pit in the lower left corner of the image was once buried beneath this eroding layer.
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) 
 Spacecraft:  Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter
 Instrument:  Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) 
 Product Size:  512 x 768 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-767  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA06328.tif (393.8 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA06328.jpg (91.54 kB)  

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Original Caption Released with Image:

24 June 2004
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the results of erosion acting upon a layer of material in the south polar region of Mars. The elliptical pit in the lower left corner of the image was once buried beneath this eroding layer, as well. The processes that eroded the material, and the composition of the material, are unknown. The image is located near 80.7°S, 300.9°W, and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates this scene from the top.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2004-06-24