More Evidence of Liquid Erosion on Mars?

 

Possible water-formed gullies cut through sedimentary layers in Terby Crater

Terby Crater, a 170-km-wide (100-mile-wide) crater located on the northern edge of the vast Hellas Planitia basin in Mars’ southern hemisphere, is edged by variable-toned layers of sedimentary rock ? possibly laid down over millennia of submersion beneath standing water. This image (false-color) from the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a portion of Terby’s northern wall with what clearly looks like liquid-formed gullies slicing through the rock layers, branching from the upper levels into a main channel that flows downward, depositing a fan of material at the wall’s base.

But, looks can be deceiving…

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Read the rest of More Evidence of Liquid Erosion on Mars? (254 words)

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© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: crater, erosion, HiRISE, liquid water, Mars, Mars Science Laboratory, sedimentary, Terby, University of Arizona

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