31 March 2004
Western Candor Chasma, in the vast Valles Marineris trough system, has some of the most extensive and varied exposures of light- and dark-toned layered rock on Mars. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an example of layered rock exposed by erosion in west Candor. The materials are probably sedimentary rocks, although some investigators have argued for a volcanic origin. The image is located near 5.7°S, 75.8°W, and covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the left.