Close-up view of crater and Martian dunes

This image, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, shows a part of the southern highlands of Mars, called Promethei Terra.

It was taken during orbit 368 on 5 May 2004 with a ground resolution of approximately 14 metres per pixel. The displayed region is centred around longitude 118° East and latitude 42° South.

It shows a close-up view of the rim of the southern crater. The smooth surface is caused by a layer of dust or volcanic ash that is up to several tens of metres thick. This layer has covered all landforms, and even young impact craters have lost their contours due to in-fill and collapse of their fragile crater walls.