Tag Archives: ground ice

Do ice-squeezed aquifers cause marsquakes?

Posted on June 26, 2019 by rburnham

As the Mars InSight lander begins listening to the interior of Mars, some scientists are already proposing that some marsquakes could be signals of groundwater beneath the frozen surface of the Red Planet.  The idea, proposed by Michael Manga, a … Continue reading →

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Stagnant ice deposits in Terra Cimmeria

Posted on April 19, 2019 by rburnham

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Solmaz Adeli and five co-authors recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.] Geomorphological evidence of localized stagnant ice deposits in Terra Cimmeria, Mars • Small debris‐covered stagnant ice deposits (termed valley fill deposits … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Ice-rich mantling in Utopia crater

Posted on April 16, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, April 16, 2019. This false-color VIS image shows a crater located in Utopia Planitia. The crater’s interior shows ample evidence for an ice-rich mantling material that has slipped and slumped away from the crater’s upraised … Continue reading →

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Mapping potential sources of Mars water

Posted on March 6, 2019 by rburnham

Missions carrying humans to Mars will require on-site resources, and a project led by Planetary Science Institute (PSI) scientists Nathaniel Putzig and Gareth Morgan is mapping the availability of potential shallow water-ice sources across the surface of the Red Planet. … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: The slow charm of brain terrain

Posted on March 4, 2019 by rburnham

You are staring at one of the unsolved mysteries on Mars. This surface texture of interconnected ridges and troughs, referred to as “brain terrain” is found throughout the mid-latitude regions of Mars. (This image is in Protonilus Mensae.) This bizarrely … Continue reading →

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Dunes decrease in size at high southern latitudes, likely from ground ice cementation

Posted on December 28, 2018 by rburnham

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Maria Banks and seven co-authors recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.] Patterns in Mobility and Modification of Middle‐ and High‐Latitude Southern Hemisphere Dunes on Mars • The mobility of dunes and ripples … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Crater immediately east of Biblis Patera

Posted on November 30, 2018 by rburnham

A crater immediately to the east of Biblis Patera. Some questions include: (a) what is the “deposit” on the west side of the crater, seeming to cover the wall/floor interface? (b) what is the floor material; did lava come up … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Gullies and crevasses on a mesa

Posted on November 16, 2018 by rburnham

Gullies and crevasses on a mesa. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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THEMIS: Sinuous features hint at ground ice

Posted on November 8, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 8, 2018. This VIS image is located in an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. The sinuous feature near the bottom of the crater rim appears to have been caused by down slope movement of … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Soft-featured craters in Arcadia Planitia

Posted on October 19, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, October 19, 2018. This false-color VIS image shows some of the plains and craters located in Arcadia Planitia. The soft-looking features in the impact craters indicate ground ice at shallow depths below the surface. In … Continue reading →

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