MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-365, 19 May 2003

Beneath the northern plains of Mars are numerous buried meteor impact craters. One of the most heavily-cratered areas, although buried, occurs in Utopia Planitia, as shown in this Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image. The history of Mars is complex; impact craters provide a tool by which to understand some of that history. In this case, a very ancient, cratered surface was thinly-buried by younger material that is not cratered at all. This area is near 48.1°N, 228.2°W; less than 180 km (112 mi) west of the Viking 2 lander site. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.