Jezero Crater Channel

On the right side of of today's VIS image is part of the Jezero Crater rim. In the top part of this image is an unnamed channel that dissects the crater rim. The channel created a delta deposit within the crater. Deltas form when sediments settle out due to a decrease in speed of a river system. Deltas often form where large rivers flow into the ocean, like the Mississippi and Nile deltas. This can also occur where rivers flow into large lakes, such as the Great Salt Lake and Lake St. Clair river deltas. It is believed that the Jezero Crater delta formed this way. Jezero Crater is the home of the Mars 2020 rover - Perseverance - and its little helicopter buddy - Ingenuity. The Mars 2020 mission is focused on the delta, and the information it holds about a time when Mars was much wetter.