PIA08708: Polar Unconformity
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows layered material exposed on a slope in the north polar region on Mars. An unconformity is visible in the middle/upper left of the image, where layers are abruptly truncated.
 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:  836 x 1978 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1566  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA08708.tif (1.656 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA08708.jpg (333.8 kB)  

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Original Caption Released with Image:

26 August 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows layered material exposed on a slope in the north polar region. An unconformity is visible in the middle/upper left of the image, where layers are abruptly truncated. Unconformities are indicators of drastic change in the region-the lower layers were deposited first, then eroded, then the upper layers were deposited.

Location near: 81.1°N, 75.2°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: lower left
Season: Northern Spring

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2006-08-26