PIA08496: Light-toned Terraces
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows light-toned, layered, sedimentary rock outcrops in northwest Schiaparelli Basin on Mars. The layers are all of about the same thickness (a few meters or less) and appear to have similar properties.
 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:  1024 x 2160 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1477  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA08496.tif (2.214 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA08496.jpg (410.5 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:

29 May 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows light-toned, layered, sedimentary rock outcrops in northwest Schiaparelli Basin. The layers are all of about the same thickness (a few meters or less) and appear to have similar properties. They were likely deposited in an episodic or cyclic manner, perhaps in an underwater setting.

Location near: 1.2°S, 346.3°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Autumn

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2006-05-29