Public domain
Dragon Scales of Mars
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This intriguing surface texture is the result of rock interacting with water, as observed by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The rock was then eroded and later exposed to the surface. The pinkish, almost dragon-like scaled texture represents Martian bedrock that has specifically altered into a clay-bearing rock. The nature of the water responsible for the alteration, and how it interacted with the rock to form the clay remains poorly understood.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineDragon Scales of Mars. NASA/JPL, 2017-07-11. Public domain. ID: PIA21781.
