Tag Archives: clay minerals

Water-related minerals in Noctis Labyrinthus

Posted on September 8, 2011 by rburnham

Noctis Labyrinthus, created 2 to 3 billion years ago, is a sprawling network of intersecting valleys and troughs between the Tharsis volcanic highlands and Valles Marineris. Deep within its troughs, canyon walls and floors display beds of layered rocks and … Continue reading →

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A polar ocean leaves few clay deposits

Posted on August 28, 2011 by rburnham

The northern lowlands of Mars have long invited the notion that in ancient times they once contained a now-vanished polar ocean. Yet a longstanding argument against such was the lack of widespread clay minerals that would naturally occur with such … Continue reading →

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About that mound in Gale Crater…

Posted on August 13, 2011 by rburnham

Next August, if plans go right, the Mars Science Laboratory rover, named Curiosity, will come sailing out of the Martian sky and power in for a soft landing on the floor of Gale Crater. Launched to look for geologic evidence … Continue reading →

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