Context Camera images suggest that sedimentary layers here are organized into bundles of quasi-periodic beds. This is important because it might be an indication of “orbital forcing,” which is the effect of climate on changes in a planet’s axial tilt and orbit around the Sun. It is worth testing to see if orbital forcing of sedimentation also occurred here in Valles Marineris.

ID: ESP_070911_1720
date: 11 September 2021
altitude: 261 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_070911_1720
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
#Mars #science #NASA