Mars orbiter beams back new 'icy' images of solar system's biggest impact basin; See

Mars Express orbiter, which arrived at red planet in 2003 and has been orbiting it ever since has beamed back fascinating new photographs. Launched by European Space Agency (ESA), orbiter has snapped images of ice-related features in Mars’ Utopia Planitia region, which is home to Solar system’s largest known impact basin. picture shared below features what is one of three major basins in Mars’ norrn hemisphere and has a diameter of roughly 3,300 km, said ESA. 

What’s so special about this region?

ESA says that Utopia Planitia is an intriguing and ice-rich region as ice has been spotted both at and below surface. Surprisingly, ice buried in region is at great depths, something that was confirmed via observations of fresh craters and pits using rars. 

Image: ESA

Explaining features, agency pointed out that at left and right of two craters are large and smooth patches of surface known as ‘mantled deposits. se deposits are thick layers of ice- and dust-rich material that have smood surface. Interestingly, same layers were deposited as snow back when Mars’ rotational axis was much more tilted than it is today, around 10 million years ago, according to ESA. 

Image: ESA

second-largest crater seen in image is even more interesting as it showcases a texture named ‘brain terrain’. It has been named so because of complex patterns and ridges found on surface of human brain. ESA says this resulted after material deformed and warped in a concentric pattern. Just to right of second-largest crater, you can see a dark coloured region that took its current form after ice-rich ground contracted and cracked at low temperatures. 

"se features are result of ground ice eir melting or turning to gas, which n causes surface to weaken and collapse. Upon closer look, layered mantled deposits can also be seen in and around se scalloped depressions”, agency said in a report. As for Mars Express, it has been imaging Mars’ surface for about two deces now and is mapping its minerals, identifying composition and circulation of red planet's atmosphere.

Image: Twitter/@ESA