Using its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has recently snapped some amazing photos of unique features on the surface of the Red Planet, fluidized-ejecta craters (also known as rampart craters). The geological formations, which result from comet, asteroid, or meteorite impacts, are somewhat unique in the solar system, in that they cannot be seen on Earth or Mercury, experts at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory report. The JPL is based at Caltech, in Pasadena, California.

Recent craters on the Moon or Mercury are also a sight to behold, with their ejecta blankets looking a bit rough near the crater rims. This applies mostly to the smaller ones. When it comes to large craters, a myriad of smaller ones can be seen all around, forming rays of secondary impact sites. Because they were created through the action of the Laws of Physics, these craters can also be seen on Mars. But the Red Planet also boasts another type of craters, known as rampart craters, which have rounded, or lobate, ejecta blankets.

These peculiar formations end in low ridges or ramparts, as seen in plain view. The recent MRO image shows such a structure on the Red Planet, generated by a crater with a diameter of about 16 kilometers, or roughly ten miles. The original impact site... (read more)