Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE Images – December 14, 2011

– Fresh Crater North of Tharsis Region http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_019641_2310

The ejecta blanket—remnants of the material from the original impact— is still visible indicating that the crater may be very fresh.

– Layering in Central Candor Chasma http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_019732_1750

This area also has a high abundance of hematite, a mineral that can precipitate out of water.

– Spring Fans Bursting from Cracks in Ice http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_024428_2605

In the springtime the ice on the dunes in the North polar region cracks, often in polygonal patterns.

– Faults in Ius Chasma http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_025020_1720

Ius Chasma is one of many steep-sided interconnected depressions that comprise Valles Marines, the largest canyon system in the Solar System.

All of the HiRISE images are archived here: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/

Information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is online at http://www.nasa.gov/mro. The mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, of Denver, is the prime contractor and built the spacecraft. HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., of Boulder, Colo., built the HiRISE instrument.