Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science

unusual Martian crater

In this image there is a very large eroded crater on the South Pole, which is quite unusual. Normally it seems craters on the pole don't erode like this because they are frozen. This is at 85 degrees South. Also there are layers which go right through it, as if they were deposited and gradually filled in the crater. It seems unusual to me at least, there seem to be hardly any craters like this on the pole.

So I am wondering if this crater might have eroded in another way. For example it might have eroded by water at a time when the axial tilt was higher. It might have been formed before the pole got there is a different climate, been eroded by the wind and then frozen. So how did the crater get filled in?

The crater seems elliptical in shape in the map projected image so it was at least near the pole when formed. It also was probably formed in the early morning or late afternoon, can you guess why?

The Martian spiders in the image are also interesting.

http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/r10_r15/images/R12/R1201881.html

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