Tag Archives: climate cycles

HiRISE: Floor and north rim of Dokka Crater

Posted on July 24, 2019 by rburnham

Floor and north rim of Dokka Crater. Dokka Crater is 52-kilometers in diameter and located in the north polar region of Mars. Its interior is presumably a remnant of a former polar cap with larger extension, so it could provide … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Layers in the north polar ice cap

Posted on July 22, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, July 22, 2019. Millions of years of alternating seasons have created the north polar cap. Ice is laid down during the winter and dust coats the ice in summer. The ice/dust cycle creates layers as … Continue reading →

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Orbital changes drive deposition of south polar layered deposits

Posted on July 10, 2019 by rburnham

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Patricio Becerra and seven co-authors recently published in Geophysical Research Letters.] Timescales of the Climate Record in the South Polar Ice Cap of Mars • Patterns in the stratigraphy of Mars’ south polar ice … Continue reading →

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North polar layered deposits vary strongly in dust and composition

Posted on July 3, 2019 by rburnham

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Daniel Lalich and two co-authors recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.] Radar Reflectivity as a Proxy for the Dust Content of Individual Layers in the Martian North Polar Layered Deposits • Radar … Continue reading →

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Multiple former ice caps lie under the northern cap

Posted on May 22, 2019 by rburnham

Scientists have discovered remnants of ancient ice sheets buried in sand a mile beneath Mars’s north pole, they report in a new study. The findings show conclusive evidence of the waxing and waning of polar ice on the red planet … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Polar cap’s edge in false color

Posted on May 22, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, May 22, 2019. Today’s false-color image shows the margin between the north polar cap and the surrounding plains (lower right). The polar cap was created by alternating layers of ice and dust, deposited over millions … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Eroded layers in the south polar ice cap

Posted on March 21, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 21, 2019. This VIS image shows layering in the south polar cap. Such layers are laid down by the seasonal changes and interweave dust and ice. Then they are eroded by winds and seasonal … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Everything is (well) illuminated

Posted on March 19, 2019 by rburnham

The south polar layered deposits are icy layers that have been deposited over millions of years, preserving a climate history of Mars. In this image the layers are well illuminated to accentuate the topography. A prior image of this location … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: South polar ice cap layers

Posted on March 15, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 15, 2019. This VIS image is located on the South Polar cap. The linear features are the steep side of a polar trough. At troughs the extensive layering of the ice is exposed. The … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: The changing climate of Mars

Posted on November 27, 2018 by rburnham

A story of changes in the climate of Mars is told by icy deposits. Remnants of a formerly extensive deposit composed of dry ice layered together with dust and water ice form what is known as the south polar residual … Continue reading →

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