PIA03629: Polar Layers
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows eroded, exposed layered materials in the south polar region of Mars.
 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:  836 x 4566 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1307  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA03629.tif (3.821 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA03629.jpg (657.3 kB)  

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

10 December 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows eroded, exposed layered materials in the south polar region of Mars. Since Mariner 9 in 1972, the polar layered materials have been assumed to be geologically recent accumulations of dust and ice, but MOC images provide no clear evidence that the materials are particularly young or composed of a specific suite of materials. They might as easily be composed of ancient, sedimentary rock.

Location near: 80.6°S, 230.1°W
Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Summer

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2005-12-10