High-resolution imaging of an area in the Schiaparelli Basin of Marson June 3 by the MGS Mars Orbiter camera produce thisstunning exampleof layered formations within an old impact crater.On planet Earth, such structureswould be seen in sedimentary rock-- material deposited at the bottom of ancient lakes or oceansand then subsequently weathered away to reveal th layers.With the Sun shinin from the left,the central layer appearsto stand above the others within the 2.3 kilometerwide crater.The crater could well have been filled with water inMars' distant past, perhaps resting at thebottom of a lake filling th Schiaparelli impact basin.Still, such layers might also have been formed by material settling outof the windy martian atmosphere.As satellites continue to examine the martian surface from orbit,NASA's Spirit and Opportunityspacecraft will attempt to land onon Mars early next year to further explore th tantalizinghistory of water on the Red Planet.
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