Tag Archives: University of Arizona

HiRISE: Eroded layers in Shalbatana Valles

Posted on January 24, 2018 by rburnham

Layers, probably sedimentary in origin, have undergone extensive erosion in this image of Shalbatana Valles, a prominent channel that cuts through Xanthe Terra. This erosion has produced several small mesas and exposed light-toned material that may differ in composition from … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Hexagons in icy terrain

Posted on January 23, 2018 by rburnham

Ground cemented by ice covers the high latitudes of Mars, much as it does in Earth’s cold climates. A common landform that occurs in icy terrain are polygons. Polygonal patterns form by winter cooling and contraction cracking of the frozen … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Dark materials on Olympus Mons

Posted on January 22, 2018 by rburnham

Dark materials on Olympus Mons. There are blocks of layered terrain within the Olympus Mons aureole. The aureole is a giant apron of chaotic material around the volcano, perhaps formed by enormous landslides off the flanks of the giant volcano. … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Horse playing the flute

Posted on January 19, 2018 by rburnham

Horse playing the flute. Maybe you can see a horse playing a flute here, but really this is a portion of the floor of Eberswalde Crater, at one time candidate landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory.  The light-toned bedrock … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Small field of eroding dunes

Posted on January 18, 2018 by rburnham

Small field of eroding dunes. Just drifting away into oblivion… Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: Fall in the Hellas Basin

Posted on January 17, 2018 by rburnham

Fall in the Hellas Basin. We took this image during the Martian fall in the Southern Hemisphere, in the giant impact crater known as Hellas Basin where small boulders cast long shadows. The long shadows emphasize small scale topographic features. … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: It’s a Dune World after all

Posted on January 16, 2018 by rburnham

It’s a Dune World after all. Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: Inverted channel in Eberswalde Crater

Posted on January 15, 2018 by rburnham

An inverted channel in Eberswalde Crater. Eberswalde Crater was once a final candidate landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity. Although the primary scientific interest in Eberswalde is its well-preserved delta, this sinuous river channel to the southeast, … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Powerful winds and streaming sands

Posted on January 12, 2018 by rburnham

Powerful winds and streaming sands. This observation shows sand dunes within the Hellespontus region of Mars. The sand appears to come from the layered mesas and knobs, features that have been eroded by powerful winds. In fact the origin of … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Seasonal haloes and fractals

Posted on January 11, 2018 by rburnham

Seasonal haloes and fractals. In the spring, as the winter layer of dry ice covering the polar regions sublimates, there is a lot of action. The ice layer cracks and ruptures, and escaping gas lofts sand from the dunes above … Continue reading →

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