Mi(ni)Geo

A Forest of Channels on the South Polar Layered Deposits (by Lunar and Planetary Institute)

The sublimation of seasonal carbon dioxide in the Martian polar regions seems to erode connected channels on the underlying surface, as escaping carbon dioxide gas scours the surface beneath the carbon dioxide ice. Such features are fairly common to the south polar region. However, the channel clusters here are unusually even in their spacing. The carbon dioxide gas-driven erosion will exploit pre-existing weakness in the underlying surface, so it’s possible that these features are following joints or fractures that exist in the layered deposits. The regularity of these features may suggest something about the thickness of ground ice deep below the surface. ASU-IPF-3256

This handout photo provided by Darryl Pitt of the Macovich Collection shows an external view of a Martian meteorite recovered in December 2011 near Foumzgit, Morocco following a meteorite shower believed to have occurred in July 2011. Scientists are confirming a recent and rare invasion from Mars _ meteorite chunks that fell from the red planet over Morocco last summer. Meteorites from Mars are more than 1 million times rarer than gold. And this is only the fifth time experts have chemically confirmed fresh Martian rocks fell to Earth. The last time was in 1962. Scientists believe this meteorite fell last July because there were sightings of it. Credit: Darryl Pitt, Macovich Collection (vía The Associated Press)

Gullies in Bloom (by Lunar and Planetary Institute)

This observation shows mid-latitude-type gullies and dark and light materials. There are dunes in this crater as well (east of the gully aprons). One of the more stunning features is the gully formation right outside the center swath of the full image. ASU-IPF-3254

planetsci:

Desert RATS is a NASA team of engineers, geologists, astronauts, and technicians who go into the deserts of Arizona each summer to simulate missions to the Moon, Mars, and Near Earth Objects, which are small asteroids that are near Earth. This is the team that test drives the new Lunar Electric Rover and very futuristic space habitats.

This summer the women and men of Desert RATS are focusing on a mission to a Near Earth Object (NEO), so they are testing space suits, scientific procedures, and a space habitat that would orbit this NEO.

Their twitter handle is @DESERT_RATS and they are definitely a team to follow!

See what Desert RATS is doing this summer!

Read more about the philosophy of Desert RATS

(Image Credit: NASA)

ageofdestruction:

Chasms: Geography of Mars, photographed by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 29th April 2007.

Detail from a photograph of the intersection of Hyblaeus and Elysium Chasma, south west of Elysium Mons. Taken with HiRISE.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/UoA.

ralphewig:

Mars Destinations: Ophir Chasma - During its examination of Mars, the Viking 1 spacecraft returned images of Valles Marineris, a huge canyon system 5,000 km, or about 3,106 miles, long, whose connected chasma or valleys may have formed from a combination of erosional collapse and structural activity. This synthetic oblique view shows Ophir Chasma, the northern most one of the connected valleys of Valles Marineris. For scale, the large impact crater in lower right corner is about 18.5 miles, or 30 km, wide.

Ophir Chasma is a large west-northwest-trending trough about 62 miles, or 100 km, wide. The Chasma is bordered by high-walled cliffs, most likely faults, that show spur-and-gully morphology and smooth sections. The walls have been dissected by landslides forming reentrants. The volume of the landslide debris is more than 1,000 times greater than that from the May 18, 1980, debris avalanche from Mount St. Helens. Theongitudinal grooves seen in the foreground are thought to be due to differential shear and lateral spreading at high velocities (Image Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS).

discoverynews:

Martian Life’s Last Stand

If there was life on Mars, scientists may have found its final resting spot.

Read more

Stratigraphy of Kasimov Crater Fill (by Lunar and Planetary Institute)

This image shows layered sedimentary rocks and ripples that fill and surround Kasimov crater. These layered deposits may have formed through the accumulation of sediment that was transported into this crater by blowing wind. The crater interior contains a sequence of layers that are remnants of the material that originally infilled the crater. These sediments form an extensive deposit that once covered the floor of the surrounding larger crater.

14-billion-years-later:

The Waters of Mars

The above image shows a basic simulation of what Mars may have looked like two billion years ago. Note the ocean.

Evidence has come to light that Mar’s lowlands may have been covered in water. This idea has come about as samples of rock show an abundance of phyllosilicates (a type of mineral) when compared to rock samples from higher elevations. As phyllosilicates are usually found in salt water on Earth so the logical conclusion to make is that parts of Mars were once submerged by oceans. Before you go pack your time machine for a visit to the ancient beaches of Mars it should be noted that this ocean would have been frigid and rimmed by glaciers. When taking a look at the coast line the geological evidence supports this, often showing signs of glacial wear and tear along with deposits of rocks known as moraines.

planetsci:

Weird Glacier-like features on Mars

Glacier-like features are seen around Mars, but only in the Hellas Basin do they look like this picture taken by the HiRISE camera! Why do they look different? No one knows.

(Image Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

Springtime at Marsʼ South Pole (by Lunar and Planetary Institute)

About two-thirds of the image is covered by part of the southern polar ice cap and other scattered ice deposits, near a feature known as Ulyxis Rupes. Ulyxis Rupes is a large cliff with a length of 390 km and a height of up to 1 km. The left side of the image is dominated by the polar capʼs ice shield, which is covered by dark dusty material that hides the bright ices beneath. (…) Just northward of the ice shield, about halfway across the image, there are large ice deposits that are heavily covered by overlying material blown into long dunes by the prevailing winds in this region. The orientation of the dunes suggests the wind must come predominantly from the northwest. With increasing distance from the south pole, ice becomes confined to larger impact craters, such as the one in the top right of the image. (…) Puzzling parallel structures in the martian dust can be seen in the bottom right quarter of the image. Although their origin is uncertain, it is possible that they are the result of underlying ice deposits, permanently frozen because they are protected by overlying dust and rocks. Image taken in January 2011.

econblues2011:

world blues 2011 posts from space.com

This rock, informally named “Tisdale 2,” was the first rock NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity examined in detail on the rim of Endeavour Crater. It has textures and composition unlike any rock the rover examined during its first 90 months on Mars. Its characteristics are consistent with the rock being a breccia — a type of rock fusing together broken fragments of older rocks. 
CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU

(via econblues2011-deactivated201204)

planetsci:

I’m going to try something new on the Planetary Science Tumblelog today:

3D Thursday!

Space Missions take lots of pictures and they often take them close together. By overlapping two close images, we can make an anaglyph. Since Space is full of 3D stuff, we have lots to cover. Today PlanetSci will bring you two anaglyphs from Mars with NASA’s HiRISE Imager. So get out your red-cyan glasses!

This beautiful image shows Yardangs, which are created on Earth as wind carves sandstone into tall mounds. Even if you don’t have 3D specs, you should still check this picture out in 2D!

(Image Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

Image taken through [Opportunity’s] microscope of the plate of bedrock it studied a few sols back. (via The Road To Endeavour)