Inside the large peak-ring basin Praxiteles sits this small, unnamed crater that has been partially flooded with volcanic material. The flooded 25-km-diameter crater postdates the formation of the nearly 200-km basin but predates the flow that filled it. Such stratigraphic relationships help planetary geologists decipher the history of planetary surfaces. For example, the presence of this unnamed impact crater suggests a substantial amount of time passed between the formation of Praxiteles, and the flooding event, ruling out impact melt as the flooding material. Also seen in this image on the right side are the enigmatic hollows, which here eroded part of Praxiteles’ peak ring. North is to the top right.
Date acquired: April 10, 2013Image Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington