Nicholson Crater

Today's image shows a cross section of Nicholson Crater. The central peak of this crater is surrounded by a layered deposit that rises 3.5km (2 miles) above the crater floor. This central mound of material has undergone extensive wind erosion, with yardangs visible on the on most of the mound. These features are created by long term winds scouring a poor cemented surface material into linear ridges and valleys. The direction of the ridge/valley is aligned with the wind direction. The dominant wind direction in this region of the mound is along a north/south trend. However, other wind directions can occur within a localized region, as evidenced by the smaller yardangs near the north side of the mound. Located on the southern edge of Amazonis Planitia, Nicholson Crater is 102km (63 miles) in diameter.