THEMIS: Not quite round

Tectonically distorted crater (THEMIS_IOTD_20180723)THEMIS Image of the Day, July 23, 2018. This VIS image shows an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. The crater is relatively young, with several different structures on the floor and rim still visible.

The inner rim of the crater has series of concentric benches, formed by collapse of the impacted surface into the bowl shaped interior. The crater floor is not flat, with several mounds created by rebound of melted material inside the crater.

One of the more interesting features is that the crater is not round, as would be expected. The straight rims likely mean the there was a pre-existing tectonic fracture system, where the forces of the blast aligned with the fractures.

See more THEMIS Images of the Day by geological subject.

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