PIA04147: South Polar Depression
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a circular depression and a suite of eroding mesas of carbon dioxide. These features occur in the south polar residual cap 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:  2048 x 2748 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1183  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA04147.tif (5.634 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA04147.jpg (888 kB)  

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Original Caption Released with Image:

14 August 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a circular depression and a suite of eroding mesas of carbon dioxide. These features occur in the south polar residual cap of Mars. The eroding carbon dioxide creates landforms reminiscent of "Swiss cheese." The circular feature might indicate the location of a filled, buried impact crater.

Location near: 86.8°S, 111.0°W
Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Spring

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2005-08-14