Abstract

Bearded Profile with Avian Headdress within the Southeast-Facing Slope of an Impact Craterin the Utopia Planitia Region of Mars

Author(s): Haas GJ, Saunders WR, Miller JS and Dale MA

This is an analysis of a facial formation set within an impact crater located in the Utopia Planitia region of Mars. The formation is presented in four NASA images provided by the Mars Odyssey (MO) and Mars reconnaissance orbiter (MRO) spacecraft. The images reveal a sculpted rendering of bearded portrait of a human face with an avian headdress. The facial features include a recessed eye socket, nose, mouth, mustache and beard. The headdress consists of a large wing with an attached avian head, beak and neck. When taken together these facial components induce the visual impression of left facing portrait of a beaded male wearing an avian-shaped headdress. The claim of intelligent design is offered and a geologist and geoscientist examine natural mechanisms that could contribute to the formation of these features. A terrestrial comparison of aesthetic and iconographic motifs is investigated. Further study and a request for additional images of these facial components are also encouraged.