Tag Archives: CO2 ice

HiRISE: Seasonal monitoring of ‘Inca City’

Posted on September 22, 2016 by rburnham

Seasonal monitoring of region dubbed “Inca City.” Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: Frosty alcoves on Kaiser Crater dunes

Posted on September 14, 2016 by rburnham

Kaiser Crater hosts a large field of sand dunes. Every winter the dunes are covered with a layer of seasonal carbon dioxide ice (dry ice). In early spring the ice begins to sublimate (going directly from solid ice to gas). … Continue reading →

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Gullies carved by CO2 ice, not water?

Posted on December 30, 2015 by rburnham

Mars’s gullies may be formed by dry ice processes rather than flowing liquid water, as previously thought. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by two French scientists published online on December 21st in Nature Geoscience. They show that, … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Icy wonderland

Posted on February 5, 2015 by rburnham

Although the season is late spring, carbon dioxide ice still covers much of the surface at this high latitude site. It is still a chilly –128 degrees Celsius [–198° F]. The weak boundaries of the polygonal structure of the surface … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Polar smile

Posted on January 9, 2015 by rburnham

This image represents one of many monitoring sites at the South pole residual cap (SPRC). Images are taken throughout the Martian year to document changes in carbon dioxide ice coverage. This image shows a popular spot where one of the … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: South polar textures

Posted on November 14, 2014 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 14, 2014. The numerous small depressions seen in this VIS image of the south polar cap are informally called swiss cheese. More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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THEMIS: South polar textures

Posted on October 7, 2014 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, October 7, 2014. While yesterday’s VIS image showed a texture of oval depressions (Swiss cheese), today’s VIS image shows a linear surface texture of the south polar cap. This texture is described as looking like … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: South polar textures

Posted on October 6, 2014 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, October 6, 2014. This VIS image of the south pole shows a surface with numerous oval depressions. This texture has been described as looking like swiss cheese. More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Seasonal sublimation site

Posted on August 27, 2014 by rburnham

Seasonal sublimation site. Beautiful Mars series.

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Mars gullies carved by CO2 frost, not water?

Posted on July 10, 2014 by rburnham

Repeated high-resolution observations made by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) indicate the gullies on Mars’ surface are primarily formed by the seasonal freezing of carbon dioxide, not liquid water. The first reports of formative gullies on Mars in 2000 generated … Continue reading →

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