An Unusual Mound

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Caption:

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With its cracked, blistery appearance , this mound near the center of a very large, over 5-kilometer diameter mid-latitude crater poses an interesting question: how did this form?

More importantly, what is the relationship between the mound and the surrounding, viscous features? Did those flow features play a role in forming the mound? Can that material help explain the cracked surface of the mound?

Background Info:

HiRISE is one of six instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

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