Delta Structure in Eberswalde Crater

Eberswalde Crater contains layered rocks about 100-meters thick exposed in a a well-preserved delta (Malin and Edgett 2003, Moore et al. 2003).

This sedimentary deposit contains dozens of shallowly tilted, alternating bright and dark layers of varying thickness (1–10 meters). HiRISE terrain models reveal structures in these layers which are interpreted as lake-floor deposits (Lewis and Aharonson 2006, Pondrelli et al. 2008).

This delta is distinguished from other fan-shaped deposits on Mars by the presence of a preserved distributary network including lobes, inverted channels, and meander cutoffs. Another example of a fan with a distributary network can be found in Jezero Crater, which may represent a more degraded version of the same kind of system.

This is a stereo pair with PSP_001534_1560.

Photo credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona