Tag Archives: north polar ice cap

HiRISE: Avalanche season

Posted on September 3, 2019 by rburnham

Every spring the sun shines on the side of the stack of layers at the North Pole of Mars known as the north polar layered deposits. The warmth destabilizes the ice and blocks break loose. When they reach the bottom … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: At the north polar cap’s edge

Posted on August 7, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, August 7, 2019. Today’s VIS image is located on the edge of the polar cap. The ice is located at the bottom of the frame, with the surrounding plains at the top half. The circular … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Floor and north rim of Dokka Crater

Posted on July 24, 2019 by rburnham

Floor and north rim of Dokka Crater. Dokka Crater is 52-kilometers in diameter and located in the north polar region of Mars. Its interior is presumably a remnant of a former polar cap with larger extension, so it could provide … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: North polar layers and sand dunes

Posted on July 23, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, July 23, 2019. Today’s VIS image shows part of the north polar cap, as well as sand dunes located on the floor of a polar trough. The north polar cap is surrounded by numerous dune … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Layers in the north polar ice cap

Posted on July 22, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, July 22, 2019. Millions of years of alternating seasons have created the north polar cap. Ice is laid down during the winter and dust coats the ice in summer. The ice/dust cycle creates layers as … Continue reading →

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Orbital changes drive deposition of south polar layered deposits

Posted on July 10, 2019 by rburnham

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Patricio Becerra and seven co-authors recently published in Geophysical Research Letters.] Timescales of the Climate Record in the South Polar Ice Cap of Mars • Patterns in the stratigraphy of Mars’ south polar ice … Continue reading →

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Mars Express: Dust storms swirl at martian north pole

Posted on July 4, 2019 by rburnham

ESA’s Mars Express has been keeping an eye on local and regional dust storms brewing at the north pole of the Red Planet over the last month, watching as they disperse towards the equator. Local and regional storms lasting for … Continue reading →

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North polar layered deposits vary strongly in dust and composition

Posted on July 3, 2019 by rburnham

[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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HiRISE: A song of dune and ice

Posted on June 5, 2019 by rburnham

A song of dune and ice. This image shows rare dunes superposed on elements of the polar cap near Olympia Undae, which is a vast dune field in the north polar region of Mars. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive. … Continue reading →

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North polar residual ice cap has recent snow-like surface

Posted on May 24, 2019 by rburnham

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Jonathan Bapst and three co-authors recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.] Thermophysical Properties of the North Polar Residual Cap using Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer • We identify residual water ice … Continue reading →

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