Gullied Craters 41°S

(Released 28 March 2002)
This scene shows gullies superposed on the inner walls of four large craters. Most of these gullies appear to emanate from one or two specific layers along the inner crater's entire circumference. The presence of gullies on the equatorward facing slopes is unusual in that most gullied inner crater walls are poleward facing. It appears that there are several distinct layers from which the gullies issue forth as well as different expressions and possibly types and or ages of gully development. Some gullies appear to originate in the uppermost layers and others in lower layers. An atmospheric haze is also visible in the poleward facing slopes of the craters. This haze is visible in the original data but has been enhanced by image processing. The small elliptical crater in the lower left contains evidence of downslope flow on the floor. The largest crater in this scene has a central peak with a pit. Note the lack of gully development on either the central peak and pit. Most craters in this region are filled and mantled (covered in dust) or "softened." This image is approximately 22 km wide and 60 km in length; north is toward the top.