Tag Archives: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

HiRISE: Fan, meet layered deposit

Posted on March 20, 2019 by rburnham

Fan, meet layered deposit. This is a gorgeous fan reaching out into deposits in east Candor Chasma. Did landslides deform the layered material? HiRISE Picture of the Day archive [More at links]

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

HiRISE: In the gullies and bedrock of Ius Chasma

Posted on March 20, 2019 by rburnham

This image was acquired in Ius Chasma, a major section of the western portion of the giant Valles Marineris trough. We see a portion of a steep slope with gullies extending downhill (towards bottom of image). Many of the gully … Continue reading →

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

HiRISE: We found geology in a chaotic place

Posted on March 19, 2019 by rburnham

We found geology in a chaotic place. The terrain here lives up to its description as “chaotic:” we see small hills, mesas, buttes and valleys. This area is called Oxia Palus, and its debris likely came from Ravi Vallis, which … Continue reading →

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

HiRISE: Everything is (well) illuminated

Posted on March 19, 2019 by rburnham

The south polar layered deposits are icy layers that have been deposited over millions of years, preserving a climate history of Mars. In this image the layers are well illuminated to accentuate the topography. A prior image of this location … Continue reading →

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

HiRISE: Surface texture

Posted on March 18, 2019 by rburnham

Surface texture. Interesting how the dune ripples within these shallow craters all seem to have a similar orientation. This image is within a crater in the Arabia Terra region. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive [More at links]

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

HiRISE: When the lighting is just right

Posted on March 15, 2019 by rburnham

When the lighting is just right. Almost all of our images are taken in the Martian afternoon, around 3 p.m., and sometimes the lighting conditions make a particularly striking image. These are layered sediments in east Melas Chasma. HiRISE Picture … Continue reading →

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

HiRISE: Overlapping rims of craters

Posted on March 14, 2019 by rburnham

Overlapping rims of craters. This image is, literally, of the overlapping part on the eastern side, so it might not be obvious there are two craters here. Nonetheless, our objective is to observe the elevation change in the craters along with … Continue reading →

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

MARCI weather report, March 4-10, 2019

Posted on March 13, 2019 by rburnham

Dust-lifting activity continued in localized regions in both the northern and southern hemispheres of Mars this past week. Looking to the ancient southern highlands, local-scale dust storms propagated eastward from Sirenum to Aonia. Southern Noachis Terra also encountered a few … Continue reading →

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

HiRISE: Uncommon clay

Posted on March 13, 2019 by rburnham

Uncommon clay. There are some uncommon clays in this sedimentary plain, as first detected in low resolution by the OMEGA instrument on the Mars Express Orbiter. Note the tight cluster of impacts. This image is in the Terra Cimmeria region … Continue reading →

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

HiRISE: Streaking on Mars

Posted on March 12, 2019 by rburnham

Streaking on Mars. Wind streaking, that is. Here’s the suggester’s rationale for acquiring this image: “There’s a field of two-tailed bright wind streaks here that are really neat. They seem unique to the area. It would be nice to get … Continue reading →

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