Uploaded July 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Earth and Mars are two planets which evolved very differently. By studying locations on Earth whose environment might be similar with that of Mars, scientists are able to theorize about 'the red planet' as well. Meteor Crater is one such study site in the Colorado Plateau, 73 km east of Flagstaff, Arizona. After the meteorite hit the surface of the Arizona desert thousands of years ago, some of the rocks were pushed up along the edge to form a rim around the crater. High resolution (2 m) digital elevation of the site, collected by aerial overflights of the region, is shown here overlain with a natural color IKONOS image.
CREDIT: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
The Earth and Mars are two planets which evolved very differently. By studying locations on Earth whose environment might be similar with that of Mars, scientists are able to theorize about 'the red planet' as well. Meteor Crater is one such study site in the Colorado Plateau, 73 km east of Flagstaff, Arizona. After the meteorite hit the surface of the Arizona desert thousands of years ago, some of the rocks were pushed up along the edge to form a rim around the crater. High resolution (2 m) digital elevation of the site, collected by aerial overflights of the region, is shown here overlain with a natural color IKONOS image.
CREDIT: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
