Alluvial fans in craters on Mars—outlined in yellow—provide important clues about the evolution of the past climate of Mars. Lower crater is ~40 miles across near 24°S, 28°E. MOLA topography—red is high, purple is low—over THEMIS. Inset, ~3 miles across, shows an alluvial fan in Death Valley, CA.

Credit:

Image credit: Google Earth; HEMIS image credit: NASA/JPL/ASU; MOLA image credit: NASA/JPL/GSFC

Rights Usage:

Terms of Use:

Smithsonian Terms of Use