HiRISE camera captures flooded impact crater in Mars' Hebrus Valles

This image by NASA's High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera shows a potential flooded impact crater in Hebrus Valles - a complex channel system that flowed to the north of Mars in the past.

Located west of the Elysium Volcanic complex, the formation of Hebrus Valles is believed to be the result of a combination of water and lava. It is a well-preserved example of an early-to-middle Amazonian outflow channel system that has been intricately carved into the Martian bedrock. These channels display a diverse range of shapes, strongly indicating their formation through one or more liquid water outflow events.

According to the HiRISE team, these distinctive features and the surrounding landscape suggest that the flooding may have been triggered by magmatic intrusion, leading to the melting and cracking of the Martian cryosphere.

HiPOD: A Flooded Impact Crater in Hebrus VallesThis image targets a potential flooded impact crater in Hebrus Valles. These channels exhibit a diverse set of shapes indicative of formation by liquid water outflow events.https://t.co/s3cN87Zh8ENASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona#Mars pic.twitter.com/ips1U52I4C

— HiRISE: Beautiful Mars (NASA) (@HiRISE) June 19, 2023

HiRISE, a scientific instrument onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), is the most powerful camera ever sent to Mars. Designed to capture detailed and high-resolution images of the Martian surface, it has been providing scientists with a wealth of valuable data to study the geology, atmosphere, and potential signs of past or present water on Mars.

The HiRISE camera's high-resolution imagery enables scientists to analyze the Martian surface with great precision. The instrument's ability to capture subtle features and variations in the landscape is crucial for understanding the complex geological processes that have shaped Mars over time.

With ongoing missions and future exploration plans, the big and powerful camera will continue to play a vital role in unravelling the mysteries of the Red Planet.