Tag Archives: ice

THEMIS: Polar layers

Posted on May 9, 2014 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, May 9, 2014. This VIS image shows the layering of the ice at the north pole. More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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THEMIS: Channels

Posted on April 29, 2014 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, April 29, 2014. Two channels are visible in today’s image. The smaller one near the bottom of the image did not carve as deeply as the larger channel at the top of the image. The … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Exposure of north polar layered deposits

Posted on April 17, 2014 by rburnham

Beautiful Mars series. Exposure of north polar layered deposits. More Beautiful Mars images.

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THEMIS: Spring at the north pole

Posted on April 2, 2014 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, April 2, 2014. With summer fast appoaching, the frost has sublimated away and the layers that make up the north polar cap are easily discernable. More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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HiRISE: Don’t get lost in the North Polar Ice Cap

Posted on March 5, 2014 by rburnham

A bright ice cap of frozen water covers the North Pole of Mars. In the winter, thin coverings of carbon dioxide and water frost covers this area and these frosts finally disappear at the end of the Martian spring season. … Continue reading →

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HiRISE image: Frost in dune shadows

Posted on February 27, 2014 by rburnham

This Southern autumn image captures a view of frosty dunes. The sunlight is shining on the dunes from the upper right. The low sun angle creates large shadows from these dunes, making for a dramatic picture. Frost is visible in … Continue reading →

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HiRISE image: Pits and hummocks

Posted on February 26, 2014 by rburnham

Beautiful Mars series: Pits and hummocks in the Ismeniae Fossae region. More Beautiful Mars images.

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Ground ice in fresh craters down to 39° north

Posted on February 18, 2014 by rburnham

Since 2008, the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has imaged 20 small impact craters and crater clusters that expose fresh ground ice. A paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research from a team led by Colin Dundas (USGS … Continue reading →

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HiRISE image: shapes and spots on a polar sand dune

Posted on January 22, 2014 by rburnham

This image shows numerous dark shapes and bright spots on a sand dune in the Northern polar regions of Mars. The bright spots are carbon dioxide frost. On Mars, the main atmospheric component is carbon dioxide, which circulates seasonally between … Continue reading →

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Recurring slope lineae discovered deep in Valles Marineris

Posted on December 12, 2013 by rburnham

Discovered in 2011, recurring slope lineae (RSL for short) are narrow, dark lines on steep slopes. They appear and grow longer during the warmest time of year, then fade and disappear over winter. They recur in the same places the … Continue reading →

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