Tag Archives: recurring slope lineae

Curiosity may hunt for RSLs on Mt. Sharp

Posted on June 27, 2016 by rburnham

Ever since it was announced that there may be evidence of liquid water on present-day Mars, NASA scientists have wondered how best to further investigate these long, seasonally changing dark streaks in the hope of finding evidence of life — … Continue reading →

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How does boiling water reshape Mars terrain?

Posted on May 2, 2016 by rburnham

At present, liquid water on Mars only exists in small quantities as a boiling liquid, and only during the warmest time of day in summer. Its role has therefore been considered insignificant until now. However, an international team including scientists … Continue reading →

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Salty flows on Mars

Posted on January 1, 2016 by rburnham

Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month, December 31, 2015: Lujendra Ojha (Georgia Institute of Technology). Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are dark, narrow features forming on present-day Mars that have been suggested to be a result of transient flowing water. RSL … Continue reading →

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RSLs are caused by flows of liquid brines

Posted on September 28, 2015 by rburnham

New findings from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars. Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Seasonal flows in Asimov Crater

Posted on May 21, 2015 by rburnham

Seasonal flows called recurring slope lineae (RSL) grow down warm slopes in the summer, fade when they become inactive, then re-form the following year when the slopes warm up again from the Sun. We see many of these RSL over … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Warm-season flows in cold-season ravines

Posted on May 13, 2015 by rburnham

Ravines (or very large gullies) are actively forming on Mars during the coldest times of year, when carbon dioxide frost aids mass wasting. However, some of these ravines also show activity in the warmest time of year, in the form … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Slope monitoring in Aram Chaos

Posted on April 24, 2015 by rburnham

A previous image, ESP_025954_1835 showed some striking dark downslope flows. Since this is a dark, low-dust setting, these are probably not slope streaks (which form in bright dusty areas). This image can provide us with another look, particularly in order … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Seasonal flows at Hale Crater central peak

Posted on April 9, 2015 by rburnham

Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are active flows on warm Martian slopes that might be caused by seeping water. One of the most active sites known on Mars in in the central peaks (uplifted mountains of deep bedrock) of Hale Crater. … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Recurring slope lineae in Raga Crater

Posted on March 13, 2015 by rburnham

This image covers Raga Crater, the location of well-studied recurring slope lineae (RSL). RSL are dark flows that disappear and re-form every Mars year at certain locations. A closeup image compares the dark flows at the same time in three … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Southeast rim of Hale Crater

Posted on January 23, 2015 by rburnham

In the search for potential areas with recurring slope lineae (RSL), which are probably caused by briny water, the central peak of Hale Crater is a common target. But we have no images of the southeast rim of the crater. … Continue reading →

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