Tag Archives: LPSC 2013

Are brines actually needed to make recurring slope lineae flow?

Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are finger-like dark lines on steep slopes that appear and grow longer during the warmest time of year, then fade and disappear over winter. They repeat the following Mars year in the same places. While scientists … Continue reading

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‘Faint young Sun paradox’ a problem for Mars (and Earth, too)

Astronomers say that billions of years ago when the Sun was young, it shone with only 70 percent its current brightness, notes Robert Craddock (Smithsonian Institution). If that were true of today’s Sun,

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Gale’s winds sculpted the Mt. Sharp mound as they built it

The major reason for sending the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity to Gale Crater is the five-kilometer (three-mile) high layered mound, dubbed Mt. Sharp, that looms at the crater’s center. The lowest layers have been altered by water

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Dust drifts: new windblown feature on Mars?

Mars has ample loose material blowing around on its surface, a fact which has been known and studied for decades and more. However scientists have paid little attention to sedimentary deposits of dust.

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Icy jets erupt from north polar dunes in spring

Jets of gas erupting in the springtime from beneath slabs of carbon dioxide ice at the Martian south pole was a dramatic finding in 2006. It explained the mysterious “spiders” which came and went each year.

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Gale Crater’s Lake District

Mars rover Curiosity landed on, or just beyond, the far end of an alluvial fan — rocks, gravel, and sand washed down by the Peace River from the north rim of Gale Crater. The rover has driven for 200 sols … Continue reading

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Does Arabia show a new style of Martian volcanism?

Arabia is one of the largest and oldest regions of Mars. Among its varied rocks are widespread deposits of soft and easily eroded ones which may have a volcanic origin. However, Arabia has no obvious volcanic vents or sources.

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Developing a stratigraphic column for Gale Crater’s floor

After more than 100 sols (Martian days) in Gale Crater, NASA’s Curiosity rover has driven some 500 meters (1,600 feet), traversing several rock units. A sketch of the crater floor’s geological history is emerging. On its half-kilometer drive from its … Continue reading

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