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Layers in Terby Crater

July 1, 2003
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows some of the layer outcrops in Terby Crater on Mars. Fans of debris have eroded from the steep, layered slopes in some places.

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-407, 30 June 2003

Whether on Earth or Mars, sedimentary rocks provide a record of past environments. Of course, it is difficult to read that record without being able to visit the site. However, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) has revealed hundreds of locales on Mars at which sedimentary rocks are exposed at the surface. Terby Crater exhibits hundreds of layers of similar thickness and physical properties--some have speculated these may be the record of an ancient lake or sea. This MOC image shows some of the layer outcrops in Terby Crater. Fans of debris have eroded from the steep, layered slopes in some places. This picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide near 27.5°S, 285.7°W. The image is illuminated from the upper left and was obtained in June 2003.

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