Tag Archives: Melas Chasma

HiRISE: Mixtures of sulfates in Melas Chasma

Posted on September 8, 2017 by rburnham

Many locations on Mars have sulfates, which are sedimentary rocks formed in water. Within Valles Marineris, the large canyon system that cuts across the planet, there are big and thick sequences of sulfates. In this image, layering within the light-toned … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Melas Chasma landslide in false color

Posted on July 13, 2017 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, July 13, 2017. Today’s false color image shows part of Melas Chasma, along with a gigantic landslide where part of the canyon rim has collapsed. The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Faults in Melas Chasma

Posted on June 15, 2017 by rburnham

Faults in Melas Chasma. Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: Clinoforms down in Melas Chasma

Posted on April 10, 2017 by rburnham

This group of steeply inclined light-toned layers is bounded above and below by unconformities (sudden or irregular changes from one deposit to another) that indicate a “break” where erosion of pre-existing layers was taking place at a higher rate than … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Terminal lobes of a large debris flow in Melas Chasma

Posted on February 21, 2017 by rburnham

Terminal lobes of a large debris flow in Melas Chasma. Beautiful Mars series.

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THEMIS: Rubble and ridges in Melas Chasma

Posted on December 5, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, December 5, 2016. Today’s VIS image shows part of the canyon wall of Melas Chasma. Landslides and “mass wasting” — the downslope movement of loose debris — have eroded the canyon walls and dumped a … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Deposits along Melas Chasma’s north wall

Posted on October 7, 2016 by rburnham

It has been known since the 1970s when the Viking orbiters took pictures of Mars that there are large (i.e., several kilometers-thick) mounds of light-toned deposits within the central portion of Valles Marineris. More recent higher resolution images of Mars, … Continue reading →

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Do salts draw water from atmosphere for RSLs?

Posted on July 8, 2016 by rburnham

Puzzles persist about possible water at seasonally dark streaks on Martian slopes, according to a new study of thousands of such features in the Red Planet’s largest canyon system. The study published today [in the Journal of Gephysical Research] investigated … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Pitted cones in Melas Chasma

Posted on June 13, 2016 by rburnham

Pitted cones in Melas Chasma. Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: Possible sulfates in west Melas Chasma

Posted on May 9, 2016 by rburnham

Melas Chasma is the widest segment of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the Solar System. In this region, hydrated sulfate salts have been detected, and are found extensively throughout the canyon. These salt-bearing deposits likely indicate that water was … Continue reading →

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