This image of Aram Chaos was taken on April 1, 2018 by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE).
Within this 280 km diameter crater are large amounts of iron oxide, hematite, and silicates that form only in the presence of water, indicating that Aram Chaos was formerly a lake.
According to scientists, 2.5 billion years ago, some “catastrophic” water spills from underground have carved huge river channels in a relatively short time (weeks or perhaps months). Currently, dark dunes, probably of basaltic origin, fill most of the lower areas and channels carved by the water along with blocks of lighter material, obscuring most of the original crater floor.
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