Tag Archives: gypsum

THEMIS: Edge of the great northern sand sea

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 12, 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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Could Mars gypsum preserve microbes?

Sulfate minerals, such as calcium sulfates (gypsum), are common in areas on Mars, having been documented with data from satellites, landers, and rovers. Could these minerals also preserve the remains of ancient life, ask Kathleen Counter Benison and Francis Karmanocky III … Continue reading

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Hardened arteries in Nili and Nilo

Water seeping through conduits and cracks in the deep subsurface rocks of Nilosyrtis and Nili Fossae left behind minerals, like hard-water deposits that collect in the plumbing of your house. (Or cholesterol in your arteries.) Then as the softer rocks … Continue reading

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Mars Rover Opportunity explores Cape York

Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity reached the south end of Cape York, a segment of the rim of Endeavour Crater about 700 meters (2,300 feet) long, on August 9, 2011. Scientists and engineers examined several targets there before driving the rover … Continue reading

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Ice cap winds spread polar gypsum

The north polar cap of Mars is surrounded by a vast dune field, about as large as Earth’s Kalahari Desert, that contains extensive deposits of gypsum. The gypsum’s origin has been debated since the mineral was discovered in 2005, yet … Continue reading

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Opportunity discovers water-precipitated gypsum at Cape York

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found thumb-wide veins of gypsum in a rock layer at Cape York, the Endeavour Cater rim segment where it will spend the coming Martian winter. The discovery was announced at the fall meeting of … Continue reading

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