The image of Aonia Terra crater on Mars, taken by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express on April 25, 2022, indicates that the region in the southern highlands of the red planet carried water across the surface around 3.5-4 billion years ago.
According to reports, the image shows a 30 kilimetre-wide Aonia Terra, that is situated within winding channels. This channel resembles veins running through human eyeball.
During the research, it was found that these canals might be filled with some dark material and may have been raised above surrounding land in some places. . The space agency has proposed several explanations regarding the same. Among them include the possibility of erosion-resistant sediment that is settled at the bottom of these channels when water flows through them. It could also be possible that channels were filled in with the lava water.
The image also reveals various colours on the crater’s surface, suggesting that the region is made up of various materials. The report further suggests that this surface is warm and is melting into dark brown-grey closer to the crater on the left side of the image. Many butts are visible in this region. These towers of rocks are created when land is affected by wind, water or ice.
Also, a dark dune field is situated on the surface inside the crater. The study further shows that the crater may be filled with more buttes and cone-shaped hills. This could suggest that a large amount of material accumulated inside the crater earlier. Notably, the surface is smoother on the north of the crater. The crater’s rims and channels seem to be defined on this side. The surface smooths further to the far right of the image.