Tag Archives: Meridiani Planum

HiRISE: Of sand, rock, and dust

Posted on May 24, 2018 by rburnham

Of sand, rock, and dust. There is some wonderful stratigraphy on display here in Meridiani Planum. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: Twin craters in Meridiani Planum

Posted on May 18, 2018 by rburnham

This image shows two small impact craters located in Meridiani Planum. This is an example of the geologic principle of superposition: figuring out what happened first by looking at how features interact with each other. We can see that one … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Following Opportunity

Posted on May 17, 2018 by rburnham

Following Opportunity. This image adds more coverage the general area that the rover Opportunity passed through (not the entire image). The image would also be useful for secondary crater studies and monitoring the disappearance of Opportunity’s tracks over time. Beautiful Mars … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Exploring Meridiani Planum

Posted on May 2, 2018 by rburnham

The Opportunity rover has spent 13 years exploring a small region of Meridiani Planum which has a rather ordinary appearance. Other portions of Meridiani are much more interesting, with well-exposed layered bedrock eroded into strange patterns. [More at link]

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HiRISE: Meridiani crater’s fractured floor

Posted on April 11, 2018 by rburnham

It’s not only hearts that can break. This image shows the fractured floor of a large, ancient impact crater, located in Meridiani Planum, in the Northern hemisphere of Mars. Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: Eastern rim of Bopolu Crater

Posted on March 5, 2018 by rburnham

The eastern rim of Bopolu Crater. This observation will be used to better characterize Meridiani Planum (where this crater is located) as a possible zone for human exploration. Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: Etched terrain in Meridiani Planum

Posted on February 9, 2018 by rburnham

Etched terrain in Meridiani Planum. Meridiani Planum is a plain located 2 degrees south of Mars’ equator, and the region itself is home to the rover Opportunity. (Altitude: 271 km.) Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: The fault in our Mars

Posted on December 14, 2017 by rburnham

This image of northern Meridiani Planum shows faults that have disrupted layered deposits. Some of the faults produced a clean break along the layers, displacing and offsetting individual beds (yellow arrow). Interestingly, the layers continue across the fault and appear … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: The wind is your only companion at Meridiani Planum

Posted on December 6, 2017 by rburnham

The wind is your only companion at Meridiani Planum. This area in Meridiani Planum is not far from the landing site of the rover Opportunity. Beautiful Mars series.

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Radar shows thick, porous sediments & no ground ice under Meridiani Planum

Posted on September 27, 2017 by rburnham

New findings reveal deposits on Mars that could be interpreted to be ice-rich may contain little or no ice at all, based on an analysis of radar sounder data for Meridiani Planum — an area on the planet’s equator being … Continue reading →

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