The Hi-RISE instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured a stunning new image in the surrounding area of ‘Swiss cheese terrain’ on Mars’ southern hemisphere. The image, which was captured on March 25th, is believed to have been created from an impact with a rogue space rock or as a result of a collapse on the Red Planet’s surface.
“We see many shallow puts in the bright residual cap of carbon dioxide ice (also called ‘Swiss cheese terrain’),” wrote Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. “There is also a deeper, circular formation that penetrates through the ice and dust.”
It’s interesting to note that this isn’t the first time scientists or researchers have spotted an unusual crater on Mars. To recall, scientists earlier this year spotted a bizarre scaly spot on the South Polar layered deposits. At that time, it was thought to be an impact crater. However, its true origin was still uncertain.
