Science and Exploration

Mars’ North Polar Cap Layers And Ledges

By Keith Cowing
Status Report
NASA
March 18, 2023
Filed under
Mars’ North Polar Cap Layers And Ledges
Mars’ North Polar Cap Layers And Ledges

At the edge of Mars’ permanent North Polar cap, we see an exposure of the internal layers, each with a different mix of water ice, dust and dirt.

When we zoom in closer, we see that the distinct layers erode differently. Some are stronger and more resistant to erosion, others only weakly cemented. The strong layers form ledges.

ID: ESP_045604_2645
date: 18 April 2016
altitude: 319 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_045604_2645NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

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