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Small Impact Crater
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Caption:
22 June 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a small impact crater with a "butterfly" ejecta pattern. The butterfly pattern results from an oblique impact. Not all oblique impacts result in an elliptical crater, but they can result in a non-radial pattern of ejecta distribution. The two-toned nature of the ejecta -- with dark material near the crater and brighter material further away -- might indicate the nature of subsurface materials. Below the surface, there may be a layer of lighter-toned material, underlain by a layer of darker material. The impact throws these materials out in a pattern that reflects the nature of the underlying layers.
Location near
: 3.7°N, 348.2°W
Image width
: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from
: lower left
Season
: Northern Autumn
Cataloging Keywords:
| Name | Value | Additional Values |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Mars | |
| System | ||
| Target Type | Planet | |
| Mission | Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) | |
| Instrument Host | Mars Global Surveyor | |
| Host Type | Orbiter | |
| Instrument | Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) | |
| Detector | ||
| Extra Keywords | Crater, Grayscale, Impact | |
| Acquisition Date | ||
| Release Date | 2005-06-22 | |
| Date in Caption | 2005-06-22 | |
| Image Credit | NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems | |
| Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03961 | |
| Identifier | PIA03961 | |
