Rim of Crater Huygens on Mars

Colour view of Huygens crater rim

Rim of Crater Huygens, perspective view

	Map showing Huygens crater rim in context

This implies that this basin was formed in the early history of the planet and indicates a period of heavy bombardment in roughly the first 500 million years of the planet’s lifetime.
 
 

Black and white view of Huygens crater rim

The basin shows an inner ring that has been subsequently filled by sediments transported into the crater.

These images show part of the eastern rim of the crater. The rim is heavily eroded and shows a ‘dendritic’ pattern. This observation suggests surface water run-off.

Dendritic systems are the most common form of drainage system found on Earth. They consist of a main ‘river’ valley with tributaries with their own tributaries. From above, they look like a tree or a river delta in reverse.
 
 

3D image of rim of Crater Huygens

The valley system is blanketed by dark material, which was either transported by a fluid running through the channels or by wind-driven (‘aeolian’) processes. Part of the area has been covered by slightly redder material, which implies a different chemical composition.
 
 

Perspective view of rim of Crater Huygens, looking north

Image resolution has been decreased for use on the internet. The colour images were processed using the nadir (vertical view) and colour channels.

The perspective views were calculated from the digital terrain model derived from the stereo channels.

The 3D anaglyph image was created from the nadir channel and one of the stereo channels. Stereoscopic glasses are needed to view the 3D image.

For more information on Mars Express HRSC images, you might like to read our updated 'Frequently Asked Questions'.
 
 

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