Tag Archives: olivine

HiRISE: Raindrops of sand in Copernicus Crater

Posted on August 31, 2019 by rburnham

Raindrops of sand in Copernicus Crater. The dark features here look like raindrops, but are actually sand dunes rich in the mineral olivine. These types of dunes are rare on Earth as olivine rapidly weathers to clays in a wet … Continue reading →

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

What makes martian methane vanish so quickly?

Posted on July 3, 2019 by rburnham

The processes behind the release and consumption of methane on Mars have been discussed since methane was measured for the first time for approximately 15 years ago. Now, an interdisciplinary research group from Aarhus University has proposed a previously overlooked … Continue reading →

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

Asteroids from a martian mega-impact?

Posted on April 9, 2018 by rburnham

Like evidence left at a crime scene, the mineral olivine may be the clue that helps scientists piece together Mars’s possibly violent history. Could a long-ago giant impact have flung pieces of Mars throughout our inner solar system? Two researchers … Continue reading →

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

CRISM: Olivine & phylosilicates near Syrtis Major

Posted on March 3, 2015 by rburnham

This image shows a site near Syrtis Major, an expansive volcanic structure. This CRISM image displays olivine-rich rocks in red and rocks rich in iron/magnesium-containing clay-like minerals called phyllosilicates in various other colors. Olivine is present in most places on … Continue reading →

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

Dikes: key link between Thaumasia Planum, Tharsis, and Valles Marineris?

Posted on September 18, 2012 by rburnham

The area called Syria-Thaumasia is a big triangular block of Mars just east of three giant Tharsis volcanos: Arsia, Pavonis, and Ascraeus Montes. Valles Marineris bounds the block on the north, while its southwest and southeast sides are defined by … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Changing times in Syrtis Major

Posted on June 18, 2012 by rburnham

Early Mars appears to have been highly unlike today, being warmer and wetter. To find out why and how the environment changed, scientists look for inflection points in Martian history, where one geological regime gives way to another. A report … Continue reading →

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

Microbes in a cave, eating rock

Posted on December 16, 2011 by rburnham

Life abounds on Earth, where it lives in every possible ecological niche, including deep in the crust. This comes from biology’s reproductive drive plus natural selection’s creativity in matching organisms’ needs with what nature provides. But what about Mars, where … Continue reading →

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

Cracks in the basement

Posted on August 11, 2011 by rburnham

When geological forces open a crack in bedrock, molten magma can squeeze in and widen it, after which the magma cools and hardens in place. The result is a dike, and such features let geologists delve into an outcrop’s history … Continue reading →

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