Impact Crater on the South Polar Layered Deposits (context frame; MULTISPECTRUM - credits: Lunexit)

This image covers a portion of the ice-rich SPLD.
Layers in the Mars Polar Regions are of great interest because layers in ice on the Earth, as in the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps, are known to contain records of past atmospheric, environmental, and climate conditions. By studying Mars Polar Layers, we hope to be able to understand the past climate and history of water on the Red Planet.