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South Polar Scene

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows two circular features in the south polar region of Mars. The circular features are degraded impact craters. The dark, irregular features in each crater are the remnants of a layer of material.
PIA03020
Credits: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
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Description

8 October 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows two circular features in the south polar region of Mars. The circular features are degraded impact craters. The dark, irregular features in each crater are the remnants of a layer of material that probably once covered the entire scene, before being eroded away. All of the terrain in this image is covered by defrosting, seasonal carbon dioxide frost.

Location near: 79.5°S, 295.0°W
Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Spring