Mysterious shapes found in Mars crater, scientists baffled | See pic

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of the northern plains of Arabia Terra region of Mars. The picture shows Martian craters that contain curious deposits with mysterious shapes and distribution.

HiRise team member Paul Geissler explained in a post: Only craters larger than 600 meters in diameter contain these deposits while craters measuring 450 meters or less lack such features. The deposits are located on the south sides of the craters, but not on the north sides (even though the cutout shows a crater with windblown deposits in the north). The deposits have horizontal laminations that could be layers or terraces, as well as radial striations formed by small bright ridges.

HiPOD: Mysterious Crater DepositsHiRISE images often raise more questions than answers. For example, this image of the northern plains of Arabia Terra shows craters that contain curious deposits with mysterious shapes and distribution. https://t.co/L7Ih1vvAZd#Mars #science pic.twitter.com/tGs1cuTmMX

— HiRISE: Beautiful Mars (NASA) (@HiRISE) December 14, 2022

Scientists believe that these features were created by the sublimation of ice-rich material. It is possible that the terraces signify different periods of sublimation. It is also possible that the larger craters went through a water table that was located between 45 and 60 meters beneath the surface and were flooded after they were formed.

NASA's HiRISE is the most powerful camera ever sent to another planet and one of six instruments onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The big and powerful camera has been taking pictures of the Red Planet since its arrival in 2006. The camera is capable of capturing images with resolutions as high as 0.3 meters per pixel, allowing scientists to study the Martian surface in unprecedented detail.

Operated by the University of Arizona, HiRISE makes observations at visible wavelengths, the same as human eyes, as well as near-infrared wavelengths.