Tag Archives: dust

North polar layered deposits vary strongly in dust and composition

[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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MARCI weather report, June 17-23, 2019

With the exception of a single arcuate-shaped dust storm, similar in morphology to a terrestrial low-pressure systems, which was dipping southward across Acidalia, the northern lowlands were relatively uneventful this past week. In the southern hemisphere, a dust storm north … Continue reading

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MARCI weather report, June 10-16, 2019

The regional dust storm noted in the previous week’s report had abated by the beginning of this past week, with only a remnant dust haze visible around Olympus Mons for a couple additional sols. Conditions along the edge of the … Continue reading

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THEMIS: ‘Blizzard’ of dust devil tracks

THEMIS Image of the Day, June 18, 2019. Wind is one of the most active processes on Mars today. This image was taken near Hooke Crater on the margin of Argyre Planitia. These micro-tornados, which form similarly to their counterparts … Continue reading

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THEMIS: South polar layers

THEMIS Image of the Day, June 14, 2019. This VIS image shows part of the south polar cap. The numerous layers that comprise the polar cap are readily visible. The cap was built up over millions of years of deposition … Continue reading

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MARCI weather report, June 3-9, 2019

Last week on Mars, dust storm activity continued along the edge of the receding seasonal north polar ice cap. Near the beginning of the week, a regional-scale dust storm occurred over the eastern Arcadia region and spread both southward to … Continue reading

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MARCI weather report, May 27-June 2, 2019

There was a slight uptick in dust activity this past week on Mars. The week began with a couple of arcuate-shaped dust storms extending over the retreating seasonal north polar ice cap in Acidalia and Arcadia. Looking to the southern … Continue reading

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MARCI weather report, May 20-26, 2019

Last week on Mars, water ice clouds and small dust-lifting events continued to be observed along the retreating seasonal north polar ice cap edge. Near the end of the week, larger pulses of dust activity were spotted over the plains … Continue reading

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MARCI weather report, May 13-19, 2019

Afternoon condensate water-ice clouds continued to be the dominant feature over all the major Martian volcanoes this past week. A few arcuate dust storms were observed along the edge of the seasonal north polar ice cap. On the other side … Continue reading

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MARCI weather report, May 6-12, 2019

We are now well into northern spring, and dust storm activity is picking up in the northern hemisphere. Numerous dust storms were observed near the seasonal north polar cap edge (presently ~60° N) throughout the past week. Several of these … Continue reading

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