Volcanic sands on the southern rim of the Schiaparelli crater on Mars
Volcanic sands on the southern rim of the Schiaparelli crater on Mars
The 450-kilometre-wide Schiaparelli basin should actually be much deeper than the two kilometres measured today. Lava, sediments carried in by rivers, and deposits left by wind have likely filled the basin. A clear sign of volcanic activity is the 'wrinkle ridges' visible in the left half of the image, which form when free-flowing lava is pushed up into rock barriers several tens of metres high as it cools. In the background is a striking band of black volcanic sand, deposited by the wind on the windward side of the Schiaparelli crater rim.