In this region, the layered deposits form 300 kilometer wide plateau that stands 2 kilometers above the surrounding plains. This plateau has been proposed as a landing site for the Mars Polar Lander Figure 10 Three views of a 300-kilometer wide plateau in the SP layered deposits. Seasonal frost deposits are seen usually in topographic lows. Dark deposits are probably sand or dust. Sun is from the bottom.
Bright values are high.
The plateau is shown to be roughly 2 kilometers high. The troughs and scarps subdivide the layered deposit mega-plateau into a series of smaller plateaus typically 100 to 300 kilometers across. Figure 11 Topographic cross-section across an closed depressions within the south polar layered deposits. These depressions are up to 1 kilometer deep and may have been formed by wind erosion. From these topographic maps, Schenk and Moore estimate that the volume of material in the South Polar Dome is 300,000 cubic kilometers.