3.9 Billion Year Old Fractured Martian Relic

15,361: This photograph captured by ESA's mighty Mars Express spacecraft during its 15,361st orbit around the Red Planet, reveals the colossal Argyre Basin. This deep, sprawling basin is a scar etched onto the Martian surface by a monstrous impact event believed to have occurred 3.9 billion years ago.
- It combines blue and green filter data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) with a simulated red channel derived from the other color data.

A period known as the Late Heavy Bombardment, inferred from studies of lunar rocks, is an era believed to have been a time of intense bombardment by asteroids and comets in the inner Solar System, leaving behind a lasting mark on celestial bodies like Mars.
- Fractured Landscape: The scene reveals a landscape dramatically reshaped by the impact's violence. Deep, straight valleys, like gaping wounds, are evidence to the immense forces unleashed by the collisions. These colossal faults were ripped open by the sheer power of the impact, forever altering the Martian surface.
- A Slient Relic: The rugged terrain surrounding Argyre Basin serves as a silent relic of this ancient event. The image also hints at the uniformity of impact processes across the Solar System. Similarities between giant craters on Mars and Mercury suggest that these violent collisions might have been a common occurrence in the early days of our planetary neighbourhood.