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Mars Picture Album Page Three

Rampart Up Against a Cliff in Kasei Vallis

This is a Viking Orbiter view of a rampart basin at the foot of a cliff in Kasei Vallis -- a valley formed by extensive flow from the Tharsis Bulge. This basin was first noticed in Mariner 9 images in 1972. The standard interpretation is that the basin is an ancient crater being uncovered by the erosion and retreat of the cliff...

MOC View of Rampart

This is a more recent MOC image of the same Kasei Vallis formation. Note the "shadow rampart" (visible in both images) and the curved ridges and roughs which echo the shape of the rampart.

See the close up of the rampart formation below

Drippy Cliffs in Medusae

Rampart Basin in Kasei Close Up

This is a close up MOC image of the rampart basin in the images above left. Note the sharp edge of the rampart, the apparent modest outgassing or volcanic formations within it, and the shallow moat or trough around the rampart. Note that the material within the rampart is hummocky but does not appear to be related to the cliff material. Note the curved ridges within the rampart.