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AsteriaStar
Feature type

River Delta

A fan of sediment deposited where an ancient river entered a standing body of water — a prime target in the search for past life, as at Jezero crater on Mars.

In brief

A fan of sediment at a river's mouth.

Examples of this feature

  • Jezero CraterSurface feature
    Mars

    A crater that once held a lake, with a well-preserved river delta at its rim. The Perseverance rover is caching samples here in the search for signs of ancient life.

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.