Tag Archives: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

HiRISE: Bedrock exposures in the highlands

Bedrock exposures in the highlands. The bedrock here is ancient. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: Pitted cone & wrinkle ridge, Aurorae Chaos

Pitted cone crosscut by a wrinkle ridge in Aurorae Chaos. These are possible mud or igneous volcanoes. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: Dramatic changes over the south polar residual cap

The South Polar residual cap is composed of carbon dioxide ice that persists through each Martian summer. However, it is constantly changing shape. The slopes get more direct illumination at this polar location, so they warm up and sublimate, going … Continue reading

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HiRISE: The pits of Elysium Mons

During the 2018 Mars dust storm, we obtained a clear view of the summit of the giant volcano Elysium Mons. We see the western rim and floor of the caldera, and a chain of pits (called a “catena”) extending from … Continue reading

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MARCI weather report, October 8-14, 2018

Dust clouds and hazes continued along the seasonal south polar ice cap edge of Mars this past week. Dust storms were observed from Aonia Terra to northern Noachis Terra to northern Amazonis. The Amazonis storm was advected southwest over the … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Colorful impact

Some regions of Mars are not very colorful, but we can be surprised by local features. This image of an impact crater in the south Syrtis Major region was acquired as a “ride-along” with a CRISM observation, which targeted this … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Rising above it in Amazonis Planitia

This image shows a bright, rectangular-looking landform surrounded by a dark floor. How did this feature get here if it looks so different than its surroundings? The feature resembles a plateau. Dark streaks mark steep slopes on its sides while … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Linear vent and flows to the southeast of Zunil Crater

A linear vent and flows to the southeast of Zunil Crater. This is located within the Elysium quadrangle on Mars, a region with a volcanic past that for which we can still see evidence of old lava flows. Beautiful Mars … Continue reading

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HiRISE: The walls in Milankovic Crater

The walls in Milankovic Crater. The objective of this observation is to determine the nature of depressions in the mantle on the wall of Milankovic Crater. It seems that the deeper depressions into the mantle have a straight edge along … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Fresh impact near Airy Crater

A fresh impact near Airy Crater. By “fresh,” we are speaking in geological terms, of course, as this impact did not occur in our lifetimes. But we can still see the rim and the ejecta around the crater fairly well. This … Continue reading

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