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Small Expanded Craters in the Northern Lowlands | NASA Image | Cosmos Observatory | Cosmos Observatory

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Small Expanded Craters in the Northern Lowlands

Small Expanded Craters in the Northern Lowlands

This image shows many small craters over a larger degraded one in the northern lowlands. These small craters are smoother and shallower than their counterparts closer to the equator. Scientists believe this difference is a result of impact into a region with subsurface ice, which sublimates when exposed to the Martian atmosphere. This causes the crater to gradually expand and flatten after impact. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21021

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