PIA04212: Polygons and Craters


Polygons and Craters

Caption:

3 September 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows polygons enhanced by subliming seasonal frost in the martian south polar region. Polygons similar to these occur in frozen ground at high latitudes on Earth, suggesting that perhaps their presence on Mars is also a sign that there is or once was ice in the shallow subsurface. The circular features are degraded meteor impact craters.

Location near : 72.2°S, 310.3°W
Image width : width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from : upper left
Season : Southern Spring

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 2005-09-03
Date in Caption 2005-09-03
Image Credit NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04212
Identifier PIA04212