Northern Meridiani Etched Terrain & Hematite Plains Contact
This observation shows the contact between the hematite bearing plains and etched terrain in northern Meridiani Planum. The hematite bearing plains (bottom left) are dark, smooth and full of dune fields. The etched terrain in this image is split into two units. The darker unit at the top of the image is filling in an approximately 120 kilometer NW-SE trending valley, while the brighter etched terrain in the middle of the image is higher than the lower etched terrain in the valley. It is in these etched terrains that CRISM, have detected hydrated sulfates, which makes a sedimentary origin seems most likely for these layered deposits of etched terrain found in Meridiani. ASU-IPF-3080
Northern Meridiani Etched Terrain & Hematite Plains Contact
This observation shows the contact between the hematite bearing plains and etched terrain in northern Meridiani Planum. The hematite bearing plains (bottom left) are dark, smooth and full of dune fields. The etched terrain in this image is split into two units. The darker unit at the top of the image is filling in an approximately 120 kilometer NW-SE trending valley, while the brighter etched terrain in the middle of the image is higher than the lower etched terrain in the valley. It is in these etched terrains that CRISM, have detected hydrated sulfates, which makes a sedimentary origin seems most likely for these layered deposits of etched terrain found in Meridiani. ASU-IPF-3080