Megabreccia in Toro Crater
January 20, 2010—Colorful patches of rock known as megabreccia cover part of the central peak in Mars's Toro Crater, as seen in a recently released false-color picture from the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE, camera.
Breccia contains rocky chunks that had been broken up by a major geologic event—such as an impact or a landslide—and then cemented together by finer-grained material. When the chunks are big enough—in this case, larger than 30 feet (9.1 meters) across—the orbiting HiRISE camera can make out the brilliant features.
SPACE PHOTOS: Solar Eclipse, Dark Matter, More
The strongest solar flare in two years heats up, distant galaxies offer dark matter clues, colorful patches of Martian rock get exposed, and more in this week's best space pictures.
