Tag Archives: north polar ice cap

How Mars got its layered north polar cap

Posted on February 8, 2017 by rburnham

One of Mars’s most striking features is the giant dome of layered ice and dust at its northern pole, analogous to Earth’s ice sheets. Scientists have long debated what formed this dome, thought to have begun developing about 5 million … Continue reading →

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MEX: Swirling spirals at the north pole of Mars

Posted on February 2, 2017 by rburnham

A new mosaic from ESA’s Mars Express shows off the Red Planet’s north polar ice cap and its distinctive dark spiralling troughs. The mosaic was generated from 32 individual orbit ‘strips’ captured between 2004 and 2010, and covers an area … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Frost build-up near Mars north pole

Posted on January 23, 2017 by rburnham

This animated gif shows the build up of frosts in a 73 x 41 km section of the north polar ice cap of Mars between November and December 2004. The images were taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on … Continue reading →

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3D images reveal Mars polar ice cap features

Posted on January 3, 2017 by rburnham

Three-dimensional subsurface images are revealing structures within the Martian polar ice caps, including previously obscured layering, a larger volume of frozen carbon dioxide contained in the south polar cap, and bowl-shaped features that may be buried impact craters within both … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Snow & ice fill crater in martian Arctic

Posted on November 30, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 30, 2016. This VIS image shows part of the north polar cap. This image is along the cap margin. The buried remnants of an impact crater are visible in the bottom half of the … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: North polar cap layers and ledges

Posted on August 26, 2016 by rburnham

At the edge of Mars’ permanent North Polar cap, we see an exposure of the internal layers, each with a different mix of water ice, dust and dirt. These layers are believed to correspond to different climate conditions over the … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Basal unit, north polar layered deposits

Posted on July 19, 2016 by rburnham

Basal unit of north polar layered deposits stratigraphy. Beautiful Mars series.

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Radar finds ice-age record in Mars polar cap

Posted on May 26, 2016 by rburnham

Using radar data collected by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a Southwest Research Institute-led team found evidence of an ice age recorded in the polar deposits of Mars. Ice ages on Mars are driven by processes similar to those responsible for … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Boreum Cavus

Posted on May 26, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, May 26, 2016. This VIS image shows part of Boreum Cavus, at the interior end of Chasma Boreale. The layered polar ice is easily identified in the upper part of the image. Boreum Cavus is … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Rupes Tenuis

Posted on May 12, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, May 12, 2016. Today’s image location is slightly east of Monday’s image. In this image the polar scarp (called Rupes Tenuis) bisects the image. The polar cap is on the left side of the image … Continue reading →

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