Mesas and troughs in Nilosyrtis region, Mars
Jet Propulsion Laboratory https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ April 23, 2002
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a region of flat-topped mesas separated by valleys or troughs of similar depth and width. The valley floors have been covered by a material that has subsequently developed thin cracks and collapse pits aligned along some of these cracks. A few outcrops of layered material occur in the valleys as well. The valleys probably originally formed by faulting; the origin of the mantling material is unknown. The image covers an area approximately 2.3 km (1.4 miles) wide and was acquired in May 2001. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.