Public domain
North Polar Cap Layers and Ledges
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
At the edge of Mars' permanent North Polar cap, we see an exposure of the internal layers, each with a different mix of water ice, dust and dirt. These layers are believed to correspond to different climate conditions over the past tens of thousands of years. When we zoom in closer, we see that the distinct layers erode differently. Some are stronger and more resistant to erosion, others only weakly cemented. The strong layers form ledges.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineNorth Polar Cap Layers and Ledges. NASA/JPL, 2016-08-24. Public domain. ID: PIA21022.
