Secondary Field
Caption:
1 November 2004
The upper right (northeast) quarter of this Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a concentrated field of small impact craters. The features form a broad line running approximately diagonal from northwest toward southeast. These craters pocked windblown ripples as well as the smooth-surfaced terrain. These are secondary craters. That is, they formed second, as the result of a larger impact, probably within a hundred kilometers or so of this site. Secondary craters form from impact of the debris kicked-up by the larger impact event. Instead of rocks from space (like a meteor), these were formed by rocks from a nearby place on Mars. This image is located near 29.7°S, 249.0°W. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left.
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 |
2004-11-01 |
| Date in Caption |
2004-11-01 |
|
| Image Credit |
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
| Source |
photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06978 |
| Identifier |
PIA06978 |
