Tag Archives: frost

HiRISE: Southern winter frost accumulations

Posted on May 10, 2016 by rburnham

This enhanced color HiRISE image shows several craters somewhere in the southern mid-latitudes of Mars. It is currently mid-winter in the Southern hemisphere, so we can observe accumulating frost (neon blues) on pole-facing slopes (i.e. south-facing) and in shadowed areas. … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Gullies with dramatic lighting

Posted on April 22, 2016 by rburnham

This image was acquired to look for frost on these generally equator-facing slopes, which are visible in the shadows after enhancing the brightness levels. It is also a dramatic image given the low-sun illumination. The color cutout has north down … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Crater dunes

Posted on April 18, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, April 18, 2016. Today’s VIS image shows a sand sheet with surface dune forms located on the floor of an unnamed crater in Vastitas Borealis. More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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HRSC: Frosty Martian valleys

Posted on March 24, 2016 by rburnham

Nestled within the fractured rim of a vast impact basin on Mars are valley floors dusted in frost. At 2200 km wide and up to 9 km deep, the Hellas Basin is the largest impact crater on Mars. This scene, … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Contact between polar ice & surroundings

Posted on February 2, 2016 by rburnham

Contact between polar ice and surrounding features. Beautiful Mars series.

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THEMIS: Hyperboreae Undae

Posted on January 15, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, January 15, 2016. Today’s VIS image shows part of Hyperboreae Undae, a dune field located between the north polar cap and Escorial Crater. This image was taken during northern spring and the dunes still have significant … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Frost-enhanced landscape

Posted on January 4, 2016 by rburnham

The arc of hills in this image is the rim of an old and infilled impact crater. The sediments that were deposited within the crater have since formed polygonal cracks due to repeated cycles of freezing and thawing. The process … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Frosty crater

Posted on November 26, 2015 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 26, 2015. This unnamed crater contains a small dune field in the central part of its floor. This image was collected in northern spring and the dunes are still frost covered. As the season … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Seasonal frost at the Viking 2 landing site

Posted on July 24, 2015 by rburnham

Seasonal frost at the Viking 2 landing site — the lander itself is not in this image. Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: Frosty gullies on the northern plains

Posted on July 16, 2015 by rburnham

Seasonal frost commonly forms at middle and high latitudes on Mars, much like winter snow on Earth. However, on Mars most frost is carbon dioxide (dry ice) rather than water ice. This frost appears to cause surface activity, including flows … Continue reading →

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