PIA08029: Promethei Pedestal
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a pedestal crater in the Promethei Terra region. The ejecta from an impact crater is usually rocky.
 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:  672 x 972 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1420  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA08029.tif (654.1 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA08029.jpg (95.76 kB)  

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Original Caption Released with Image:

2 April 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a pedestal crater in the Promethei Terra region. The ejecta from an impact crater is usually rocky. The rocks in the ejecta help shield the terrain beneath the ejecta from being eroded away by wind. Thus, over time, some craters appear to be raised on pedestals defined by their ejecta blankets, because wind has stripped away tons and tons of surrounding material.

Location near: 65.4°S, 264.7°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Autumn

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2006-04-02