Fact Sheet
Hoard of the Rings
Although they look like tree rings, these circles are formed by layers of rock exposed inside an impact crater on Mars. Scientists speculate that the rock layers may have been deposited at the bottom of a large lake, or by dust settling out of the Martian atmosphere. Sediments might have completely filled the crater at one time, but slowly eroded, revealing this amazing ringed structure. The crater is about 1.4 miles (2.3 km) wide, and is in the Schiaparelli Basin of Mars. [Credit: NASA/JPL/MSSS]
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