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Tag Archives: olivine
HiRISE: Raindrops of sand in Copernicus Crater
Raindrops of sand in Copernicus Crater. The dark features here look like raindrops, but are actually sand dunes rich in the mineral olivine. These types of dunes are rare on Earth as olivine rapidly weathers to clays in a wet … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Copernicus Crater, eolian processes, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiPOD, HiRISE, HiRISE Picture of the Day, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, olivine, sand, sand dunes, University of Arizona
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What makes martian methane vanish so quickly?
The processes behind the release and consumption of methane on Mars have been discussed since methane was measured for the first time for approximately 15 years ago. Now, an interdisciplinary research group from Aarhus University has proposed a previously overlooked … Continue reading
Asteroids from a martian mega-impact?
Like evidence left at a crime scene, the mineral olivine may be the clue that helps scientists piece together Mars’s possibly violent history. Could a long-ago giant impact have flung pieces of Mars throughout our inner solar system? Two researchers … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged asteroids, giant impacts, impacts, Mars trojan asteroids, olivine
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CRISM: Olivine & phylosilicates near Syrtis Major
This image shows a site near Syrtis Major, an expansive volcanic structure. This CRISM image displays olivine-rich rocks in red and rocks rich in iron/magnesium-containing clay-like minerals called phyllosilicates in various other colors. Olivine is present in most places on … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, CRISM, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, olivine, phyllosilicates, Syrtis Major
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Dikes: key link between Thaumasia Planum, Tharsis, and Valles Marineris?
The area called Syria-Thaumasia is a big triangular block of Mars just east of three giant Tharsis volcanos: Arsia, Pavonis, and Ascraeus Montes. Valles Marineris bounds the block on the north, while its southwest and southeast sides are defined by … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Arsia Mons, Ascraeus Mons, dikes, olivine, Pavonis Mons, Syria-Thaumasia, Tharsis, Thaumasia Planum, Valles Marineris, volcanism, wrinkle ridges
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Changing times in Syrtis Major
Early Mars appears to have been highly unlike today, being warmer and wetter. To find out why and how the environment changed, scientists look for inflection points in Martian history, where one geological regime gives way to another. A report … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged clay minerals, CRISM, Isidis Planitia, lava, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, olivine, phyllosilicates, Syrtis Major
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Microbes in a cave, eating rock
Life abounds on Earth, where it lives in every possible ecological niche, including deep in the crust. This comes from biology’s reproductive drive plus natural selection’s creativity in matching organisms’ needs with what nature provides. But what about Mars, where … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged astrobiology, ice, lava tubes, life, Newberry volcano, olivine, Pseudomonas
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Cracks in the basement
When geological forces open a crack in bedrock, molten magma can squeeze in and widen it, after which the magma cools and hardens in place. The result is a dike, and such features let geologists delve into an outcrop’s history … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Coprates Chasma, CRISM, dikes, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, olivine, pyroxene, Tharsis, Valles Marineris, volcanic activity
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