Rare elongated crater on Mars

ESA's Mars Express imaged this elongated crater on Mars. Note that most craters are circular, even when the impactor strikes the planet at a shallow angle. However a train of interplanetary debris can leave an elongated scar, which might account for the crater seen here. But accounting for the origin of that hypothetical debris train can be problematic---perhaps this is debris from a comet or asteroid that was tidally disrupted by Mars? Or perhaps this debris is from a tidally disrupted satellite that had spiraled inwards and onto the planet due to the martian tide. Although this might seem farfetched, this in fact will be the ultimate fact of the Martian satellite Phobos, which will eventually impact Mars in tens of million years, due to its slow orbital decay that is driven by the martian tidal forces. See the Mars Express website for more details.

Orcus Patera, a mysterious crater on Mars

This image of Orcus Patera was acquired by ESA's Mars Express orbiter; see press release. Orcus is an elliptical depression near Mars's equator, near the well-known volcanoes of Elysium Mons and Olympus Mons. Its origin is unknown, possibly a volvanic feature, or perhaps a circular impact crater that was later deformed by tectonic forces.