This image shows some of the cratered terrain of Mars.
Click on image for full size
NASA

Martian Cratered Terrain

This is an example of the cratered surface of Mars. Almost the entire surface of Mars is covered with craters.

Craters can be wiped out over time, so a surface which has many craters is very old. The lowlands of Mars have fewer craters, and seem to be younger than the highlands of Mars, which have many craters and is a very old portion of Mars. The highlands of Mars are in the southern hemisphere, which means that the southern hemisphere is the oldest portion of Mars.

The Tharsis Ridge, where the volcanoes of Mars are found, is lightly cratered, which means that it is also a younger portion of Mars.

This cratering pattern provides evidence for the possibility of continental drift early in the history of Mars.


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