23 May 2004
The central peak of Oudemans Crater, located at the edge of the Labyrinthus Noctis trough system, consists of steeply-dipping rock layers that were uplifted and tilted by the meteor impact that formed the crater. This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an example. The banded features are layers of light-toned, possibly sedimentary, rock that were brought to the surface and uplifted by the impact process that formed the crater and its central peak. Oudemans Crater's central peak serves as a means for probing the nature of rock that lies beneath the plains cut by the Labyrinthus Noctis troughs, which are part of the vast Valles Marineris system. This March 2004 picture is located near 10.2°S, 92.0°W. The image covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across and is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left.