Top-down view of the Deuteronilus Cavus depression in Arabia Terra
Top-down view of the Deuteronilus Cavus depression in Arabia Terra
The 120-kilometre-wide depression 'Deutero-Nilus' – the 'second Nile' in Greek – formed through an asteroid impact approximately 3.7 to 3.9 billion years ago. Since then, water, ice, and volcanism – along with other processes – have reshaped the impact crater. The dark deposits at the centre of the depression are volcanic in origin, although it remains unclear whether the material erupted as lava or was deposited by wind as ash and dust.
