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Southern Terrain

Jan. 22, 2006
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows an eroded landscape in the south polar region of Mars. Layered material has been exposed to create a complex pattern of steps and low, isolated mesas.

22 January 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an eroded landscape in the south polar region of Mars. Layered material has been exposed to create a complex pattern of steps and low, isolated mesas. The material has also been cracked, and semi-parallel ridges on some of the 'stairsteps' may be old, windblown ripples.

Location near: 86.0°S, 182.1°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Summer

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