Escalante Crater is an impact crater in the Amenthes quadrangle of Mars. It is located at 0.2° N and 244.7° W. It is 79.3 km (49.3 mi) in diameter, and was named after Mexican astronomer (c. 1930) Francisco Javier Escalante Plancarte [es].

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  CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) image of Escalante Crater. Dunes are visible near the bottom of the image.
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  Enlargement of dunes in Escalante Crater from previous photo. Image taken with CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter).

Impact craters generally have a rim with ejecta around them, in contrast volcanic craters usually do not have a rim or ejecta deposits. As craters get larger (greater than 10 km in diameter) they usually have a central peak. The peak is caused by a rebound of the crater floor following the impact. If one measures the diameter of a crater, the original depth can be estimated with various ratios. Because of this relationship, researchers have found that many Martian craters contain a great deal of material; much of it is believed to be ice deposited when the climate was different. Sometimes craters expose layers that were buried. Rocks from deep underground are tossed onto the surface. Hence, craters can show us what lies deep under the surface.

See also

• Climate of Mars
• Impact crater
• Impact event
• List of craters on Mars
• Ore resources on Mars
• Planetary nomenclature