Tag Archives: groundwater

Radar shows thick, porous sediments & no ground ice under Meridiani Planum

Posted on September 27, 2017 by rburnham

New findings reveal deposits on Mars that could be interpreted to be ice-rich may contain little or no ice at all, based on an analysis of radar sounder data for Meridiani Planum — an area on the planet’s equator being … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Crashing into martian mud

Posted on September 15, 2017 by rburnham

An impactor smashing into an ice-rich surface gave rise to the complex flow features around this ancient crater on Mars. Impacts of comets and asteroids have shaped the surfaces of rocky planets and moons over the Solar System’s 4.6 billion … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Geo-chaos in Gorgonum

Posted on April 27, 2017 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, April 27, 2017. Today’s false color image shows part of Gorgonum Chaos, a place where subsurface ice melted, broke through to the surface, and drained away after undermining the ground along fractures. The THEMIS VIS … Continue reading →

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Researchers pinpoint watery past on Mars

Posted on February 15, 2017 by rburnham

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered a patch of land in an ancient valley on Mars that appears to have held water in the not-too-distant past. In doing so, they have pinpointed a prime target to begin searching for past … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: When groundwater escapes: Hydaspis Chaos

Posted on November 2, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 2, 2016. The region of hills and mesas at the top of this VIS image are part of Hydaspis Chaos, a typical area of “chaotic terrain.” Scientists think these form when groundwater under pressure … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Yuty Crater

Posted on June 14, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, June 14, 2016. This VIS image shows a small portion of Yuty Crater’s ejecta blanket. The crater is off the image to the right. The lobes of ejecta end in a raised ridge of material; … Continue reading →

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Lakes in Noctis Labyrinthus: ancient habitable environments?

Posted on February 9, 2016 by rburnham

Groundwater circulation beneath a massive tectonic rift zone located along the flanks of some the Solar System’s largest volcanic plateaus resulted in the formation more than 3 billion years ago of some the deepest basins on Mars, according to a … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Aureum Chaos – false color

Posted on October 26, 2015 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, October 26, 2015. The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations of … Continue reading →

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Evidence of groundwater in Arabia Terra; if on Earth, could permit microbial colonization

Posted on March 28, 2015 by rburnham

Monica Pondrelli [Università d'Annunzio, Italy] and colleagues investigated the Equatorial Layered Deposits (ELDs) of Arabia Terra in Firsoff crater area, Mars, to understand their formation and potential habitability. [Their report appears in the Geological Society of America Bulletin.] On the … Continue reading →

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Mars has lost an ‘Arctic Ocean’ of water

Posted on March 5, 2015 by rburnham

A primitive ocean on Mars held more water than Earth’s Arctic Ocean, and covered a greater portion of the planet’s surface than the Atlantic Ocean does on Earth, according to new results published today in Science. An international team of … Continue reading →

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