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The Pits

March 8, 2006
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of a pit chain on the lower, northern flank of the giant martian volcano, Arsia Mons.

8 March 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of a pit chain on the lower, northern flank of the giant martian volcano, Arsia Mons. Pits such as these commonly form as a result of collapse of surface materials into a subsurface void, possibly along a fault or into an old lava tube. The layered material, exposed near the top of several of the pits, is shedding house-sized boulders which can be seen resting on the sloping sidewalls and floors of many of the pits.

Location near: 6.7°S, 120.1°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: lower left
Season: Southern Summer

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