Dark Light
This image samples the excellent bedrock exposures north of Terby Crater, which lies on the northern rim of the giant Hellas basin.

An enhanced-color cutout shows a sample of this bedrock, which has a variety of colors and textures. The warm-colored bedrock probably contains hydrated minerals such as clays, whereas the blue-green bedrock is dominated by unaltered mafic minerals. These may be some of the oldest rocks exposed at the Martian surface. Such ancient rocks are extremely rare on Earth. 


Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona https://www.uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_045335_1535
Related Posts

Layered Bedrock

This un-named crater in southwestern Arabia Terra contains a treasure! Layered sediments are the key to the puzzle of Martian history. They tell us about the conditions that existed when the sediments were deposited, and how they changed over time.