This image shows a small light-toned exposure of rock on the plains of Terra Sirenum, in a heavily cratered region of the Southern hemisphere of Mars.

What’s of interest here is the potential hydrated mineral signature that appears in CRISM multispectral data. Hydrated minerals on Mars are indicators of past environmental conditions. Comparing high-resolution images from HiRISE and the high spectral resolution of CRISM helps understand these minerals.

Prior to HiRISE, there were no existing high-resolution images of this exposure.

This caption is based on the original science rationale.

Written by: HiRISE Science Team (audio by Tre Gibbs)   (27 March 2013)

More info and image formats at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_023335_1560

Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona