Excellent exposures of light-toned layered deposits occur along the northern edge of Hellas Basin, like those visible in this enhanced color image .

Some of these layered sediments have hydration features in CRISM data, and the various colors visible in this image suggests several different compositions may be present throughout the strata. The sediments may have been emplaced by hydrothermal activity associated with the impact event that created Hellas Basin.

Alternatively, they could be younger deposits that formed within this region when a lake existed here. Studies of the deposits using several data sets could distinguish between these two origins and may result in additional hypotheses for their formation.

Written by: Cathy Weitz   (17 July 2013)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_032425_1525 .

More info and image formats at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_032359_1525

Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona