Unusual Crater
About this image
Visible at the bottom left part of this VIS image is part of an unusual crater. Rather than being circular, this crater is bullet-shaped - much longer than it is wide. This shape is caused by an oblique impact, where the meteor impacts at a flat angle to the surface. This causes the shock wave and dispersal of material to be focused along a line rather than at a point. Oblique impact craters occur in several places on Mars and on other planets. This crater is unnamed.
Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.