Monthly Archives: May 2012

Mars has carbon — it’s just not biological

A highly detailed study of 11 meteorites that have come from Mars shows that although 10 of them contain the organic element carbon, the source of the carbon is not biological in origin. Instead, the carbon lies as molecules inside … Continue reading

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Mars mineral bonanza?

If you could go to only one location on Mars, where would you find the most complete assortment of known Martian minerals? A new report, with lead author Patrick Thollot (Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, CNRS), in the Journal of … Continue reading

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Latitude controlled Amazonian ice flows

Signs of underground ice deposited in the Amazonian period (the most recent in Martian history) are common in many places on Mars. Evidence includes tropical mountain glacier deposits, lobate debris aprons, lineated valley fill, concentric crater fill, and pedestal craters. … Continue reading

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Did ice and dust make layered deposits in Valles Marineris?

Vast mounds of layered material lie in numerous places throughout the giant canyon system of Valles Marineris, and especially in Candor Chasma, Ophir Chasma, and Melas Chasma. The origin of these “interior layered deposits” (ILDs) have been debated since they … Continue reading

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Mars dunes move as much as Earth dunes

Scientists have known for years that Martian sand dunes and ripples move as wind blows over them. But for the most part they thought the motion was small because the atmosphere is thin and high-speed winds are rare. Now new … Continue reading

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Mars Rover Opportunity explores Cape York

Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity reached the south end of Cape York, a segment of the rim of Endeavour Crater about 700 meters (2,300 feet) long, on August 9, 2011. Scientists and engineers examined several targets there before driving the rover … Continue reading

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