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Mojave Crater's Floor and Central Uplift (Natural Colors; credits: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)
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This observation shows a portion of the Central Uplift structure in Mojave Crater.
Central Uplifts are a typical feature of large Impact Craters on Earth, Moon and Mars; craters larger than 6 or 7 Km in diameter on Mars typically form this mountain-like peak in the central portion of the crater interior.
This Peak consists of rocks originating from several kilometers beneath the pre-impact surface.
Mojave has a very prominent Central Uplift as it has a diameter of about 60 Km (apprx. 37 miles). In this image, boulders as large as about 15 meters (50 feet) across have been eroded from the massive uplifted rock and have rolled downslope. Fine-grained debris has also collected in the topographic lows, and has been shaped by the wind into Dunes and Ripples.
Notably absent from this image are the striking Drainage Channels and Alluvial Fans that are abundant on the wall-terraces and ejecta of Mojave Crater (see PSP_001415_1875). These features were likely formed by Surface Runoff of liquid water, which may have been released from the Subsurface during the impact event that formed Mojave.
Previously, it had been suggested that a brief, torrential downpour over Mojave Crater delivered the water. However, Mars Orbiter Camera's (MOC) images of Mojave's Central Uplift have previously shown no evidence for Surface Runoff, and the higher resolution of this HiRISE image confirms that this part of the Crater appears untouched by liquid water.
So the question remains: by what means was the water, in the form of Runoff, supplied to Mojave? This question, in addition to several others regarding this phenomenon, are currently being investigated by the HiRISE team and their collaborators.
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