Newest NASA image shows a variety of hues on Crater slop
NASA has released a new color-enhanced image to show the diversity of Martian surface materials. The image captures a steep slope at impact crater with all its glory while the false colors in the image highlight the subtle difference between various types of rocks.
The Martian surface is usually harmonized by dust and regolith. However, slopes on Mars often experience rockfalls and avalanches that shake off the dust and debris, exposing materials underneath the surface. And it’s the diverse composition of the rocks that is producing different colors in this high resolution image.
In the image, the top of the crater rim is coated with Martian dust while the area underneath looks like a mixture of layered and jumbled deposits, leading to a variety of hues. Overall, the composition of bedrock points to a complicated geologic history.Hues in a Crater Slope: Rockfalls down slopes can reveal a variety of gorgeous hues. https://t.co/dHmOJSlzE1 pic.twitter.com/BVdOR2EKPl— HiRISE (NASA) (@HiRISE) January 2, 2017
“This sample is typical of the Martian highlands, with lava flows and water-lain materials depositing layers, then broken up and jumbled by many impact events.” NASA website reads.
The false-color view came from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The image was taken on Feb. 28, 2011 at 15:24 local Mars time.
