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Northern Pancake

July 31, 2006
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a pedestal a 'pancake' or 'pedestal' crater on the martian northern plains. The rocky ejecta from the crater protected the underlying material from being stripped away by wind.

31 July 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a "pancake" or "pedestal" crater on the martian northern plains. The rocky ejecta from the crater protected the underlying material from being stripped away by wind, leaving the ejecta standing higher than the surrounding terrain. The rocks in the ejecta are not too clearly seen today, especially at the 6 meters (~20 feet) per pixel scale of this image, in part because they have been covered up by later, mantling material.

Location near: 60.0°N, 265.6°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: lower left
Season: Northern Spring

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