Fresh Impact Crater in Utopia Planitia

This fresh crater is located in the northern mid-latitudes. It is designated as fresh because of its very sharp rim.The crater has experienced some modification since it formed, including a few tiny craters on the south wall.The rough texture of the floor is suggestive of ground ice, which is expected to exist in the mid-latitudes. Ground ice aids gravity in moving material from the crater walls towards the center. Material is visible slumping off the northwest crater wall in this fashion. The wavy texture of the center of the crater floor suggests that material has been transported from the walls and merged in the center.
December 23, 2008
CreditNASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
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This fresh crater is located in the northern mid-latitudes. It is designated as fresh because of its very sharp rim.

The crater has experienced some modification since it formed, including a few tiny craters on the south wall.

The rough texture of the floor is suggestive of ground ice, which is expected to exist in the mid-latitudes. Ground ice aids gravity in moving material from the crater walls towards the center. Material is visible slumping off the northwest crater wall in this fashion. The wavy texture of the center of the crater floor suggests that material has been transported from the walls and merged in the center.

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