Tag Archives: craters

Pitted deposits in Mars craters point to subsurface ice

Studies of pitted deposits in crater floors appear to indicate that subsurface ice has been more widespread on Mars than previously thought. That’s the conclusion of a team of reseachers led by Livio Tornabene (University of Western Ontario), who reported … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Water-carved channels on crater debris

Medium-size craters less than 3 billion years old often show water-carved channels in their debris aprons, according to a new study of mid-latitude craters in Arabia Terra. Previous studies had reported that such features on ejecta aprons were rare. Nicolas … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Mini pedestal craters suggest tropical ice deposits

Craters surrounded by debris aprons that stand above the surrounding surface are known as pedestal craters. Scientists think the slab-like apron of ejecta around such craters covers layers that are rich in water ice. Nearly all pedestal craters found so … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Airblast avalanches

The aerial blast wave from a meteorite impact can trigger dust avalanches in the vicinity, says a new paper published in Icarus. A group of scientists led by Kaylan Burleigh (University of Arizona) reached this conclusion after studying a cluster … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

High ground on Cape York rim segment named Shoemaker Ridge

Scientists with the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity have given the name of Shoemaker Ridge to the highest “spine” of the Cape York segment of Endeavour Crater’s rim. The rover arrived at Cape York in early August and has been exploring … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Down in the deltas

Although NASA passed over Eberswalde Crater to choose Gale Crater as the landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), Eberswalde offers the best known example on Mars of a river delta built from sediment washed into a crater lake. … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

How often does Mars get whacked?

Or — to pose this question more usefully — what’s the rate of crater-making impacts on Mars as compared to, say, the Moon? Why the Moon? Because it’s the one extraterrestrial body for which scientists have both a long visible … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Peeking into a stacked deck

No one is planning to send a Mars rover into the high latitudes (north or south) anytime soon, but if a paper in Icarus (June 2011) by Seth J. Kadish and James W. Head (both Brown University) is correct, scientists … Continue reading

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off