Bright Layered Deposits near Juventae Chasma (Natural Colors; credits: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)

This view shows color variations in bright Layered Deposits on a plateau near Juventae Chasma in the Valles Marineris egion of Mars. A brown mantle covers portions of the bright deposits. The view covers an area about of 1,2 Km (three-fourths of a mile) across.
The image comes from an observation made by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on May 2, 2007.
Researchers have found that these bright Layered Deposits contain Opaline Silica and Iron Sulfates, consistent with low-temperature, acidic aqueous alteration of basaltic materials. They conclude that aqueous activity affected this plateau after formation of the nearby canyons. Although the source of water and sediment remains uncertain, the strong correlation between fluvial landforms and bright Layered Deposits in this Region argues for sustained precipitation, surface runoff, and fluvial deposition occurring during Mars' Hesperian Era on the plateaus adjacent to Valles Marineris and along portions of the canyon walls.

This image is one product from HiRISE observation PSP_003579_1755, centered at 4,7° South Lat. and 296,4 East Long.