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Layering in Spallanzani Crater
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In this image from NASA Mars Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, we can see quite a spectacular layering pattern inside an impact crater called Spallanzani. Seeing layering is always exciting to geologists because it implies that the region has experienced multiple climatic conditions or geologic processes through time. The study of layering is so important in geology that it has its own dedicated branch of study: stratigraphy! Commonly, layering implies different lithologies (i.e., rock types).
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineLayering in Spallanzani Crater. NASA/JPL, 2015-04-22. Public domain. ID: PIA19367.