Tag Archives: gypsum

CRISM: Polyhydrates, sulfates, gypsum, and Fe silicates at a Sisyphi Montes dome

Posted on July 1, 2019 by rburnham

The Sisyphi Montes are a series of large semicircular mountains in Sisyphi Planum, a volcanic province on Mars located between the south polar terrains, Argyre, and Hellas basins. In this CRISM scene we observe polyhydrated sulfates (magenta), gypsum (blue), and … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Peering into Aberlady drill hole

Posted on April 16, 2019 by rburnham

Sol 2378, April 15, 2019. The rover’s Mars Hand-Lens Imager (MAHLI) peered into the Aberlady drill hole and saw tailings inside and out. In addition, it recorded the light-toned layer partway down the hole. Its composition — gypsum? — and … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Aberlady drill hole

Posted on April 11, 2019 by rburnham

Sol 2374, April 11, 2019. The Remote Micro-Imager on Curiosity took a look into the Aberlady drill hole, recording numerous ChemCam laser zap spots. Also visible is a thin light-toned layer that may be calcium sulfate (gypsum). Click the image … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Crystal balls may show the future, but gypsum crystals tell us about the past

Posted on October 9, 2018 by rburnham

[Ed note: Post by MSL scientist Abigail Fraeman, NASA/JPL] As Curiosity continues to mend, I’ve been looking forward to our next drill sample of gray rock. Some interesting features we’ve seen on Vera Rubin Ridge are small “swallowtail crystals” often … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: The other Pan’s labyrinth

Posted on September 19, 2018 by rburnham

The other Pan’s labyrinth. These polar dunes are located near source of gypsum. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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Mars minerology points to cold, icy ancient climate

Posted on June 8, 2018 by rburnham

The climate throughout Mars’ early history has long been debated – was the Red Planet warm and wet, or cold and icy? New research published in Icarus provides evidence for the latter. Mars is littered with valley networks, deltas and … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Frost-free dunes in north polar sand sea

Posted on March 16, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 16, 2018. This VIS image was collected at the height of summer. It is during this season that winds are able to move sand sized particles, slowly modifying the dunes. Olympia Undae is a … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Dunes in transition

Posted on March 15, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 15, 2018. This VIS image highlights the dune form/dune density aspects of Olypmia Undae. In the center there is a brighter, diagonal region of few dunes. These dunes are the arc or crescent shape … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Dunes, lacy and regular

Posted on March 14, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 14, 2018. This VIS image hightlights the density of dunes, the bottom third of the image has fewer dunes, spaced farther apart than the top two thirds of the image. The bottom of the … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Is that gypsum under the dunes?

Posted on March 13, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 13, 2018. This VIS image of Olympia Undae was collected during north polar summer. The dunes are now completely frost free and are dark in color due to being made of basaltic sand. The … Continue reading →

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