Enigmatic, shallowly incised valleys are found in some mid- to low-latitude regions on Mars. These valleys are very different in appearance compared to the very old, large, and well-developed valley networks on Mars.

The effects of liquid water or ice on a landscape are a distinctive indicator of past climate, and further insight into the age and origin of these shallow valleys may help advance our understanding of the environment in which they formed and potential late-stage habitability of Mars.

The shallow valley has been filled with small, transverse aeolian ripples (TARS) oriented perpendicular to the valley walls.

HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington.