Monthly Archives: September 2012

Wet debris flows carved (some) Mars dune gullies

Posted on September 29, 2012 by rburnham

Located west of the big Hellas impact basin in Mars’ southern hemisphere, Russell Crater spreads 135 kilometers (84 miles) wide. A notable feature within it is a broad dune field with a “megadune” heaped up toward the east. The megadune … Continue reading →

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Dikes: key link between Thaumasia Planum, Tharsis, and Valles Marineris?

Posted on September 18, 2012 by rburnham

The area called Syria-Thaumasia is a big triangular block of Mars just east of three giant Tharsis volcanos: Arsia, Pavonis, and Ascraeus Montes. Valles Marineris bounds the block on the north, while its southwest and southeast sides are defined by … Continue reading →

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Steam jets made pits in crater floors

Posted on September 14, 2012 by rburnham

At first glance, the floors of many large impact craters on Mars have areas that appear smooth and flat. But a closer look at some of these flat floors shows a much more rugged landscape, where one small cuplike pit … Continue reading →

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Methane in a flash

Posted on September 10, 2012 by rburnham

Martian methane is a hot topic because of its potential origin in biological, as well as geological processes. Observations (Earth-based and from Mars orbit) have found only a small quantity of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere of Mars — … Continue reading →

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