Science and Exploration

Not Your Typical Martian Pit Crater

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
NASA
August 3, 2022
Filed under ,
Not Your Typical Martian Pit Crater
Martian Pit Crater
NASA

Atypical Pit Craters (APC) are concentrated mostly in the Tharsis region of Mars. A small collection of APC has been identified near Elysium Mons. APC are generally cylindrical or bell shaped with long lived vertical or overhanging walls. APC examples in much older terrain should reveal erosional characteristics and possibly whether they are ancient or formed more recently. HiRISE has targeted many APC in Tharsis, but these are the first to be suggested in older terrain.

ID: ESP_071022_2100
date: 20 September 2021
altitude: 289 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_071022_2100NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.