Mawrth Vallis Closeup (3-D)

Mawrth Vallis contains clay minerals that formed by chemical alteration of rocks by water. The central part of the image is dominated by light-toned materials with curving fractures of many different sizes. These fractures do not have a preferred orientation, indicating that they probably formed by the drying of a thick mud deposit or the gradual rebound of the area as the overlying material was eroded away. The impact crater on the left side has been partially filled in by wind-blown sand.