Tag Archives: Valles Marineris

MARCI weather report, February 17-23, 2014

Dust-raising activity and haze was observed in North Utopia, over Olympia, and in Acidalia. Several local dust storms were observed in Solis. Diffuse water ice clouds were present at tropical latitudes, and were particularly visible over Valles Marineris. Skies were … Continue reading

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CRISM image: Hydrated sulfates in Candor Chasma

Candor Chasma is a deep, elongate, steep-sided depression about 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) in length, forming just one part of of the Valles Marineris canyon system in the equatorial part of Mars’ western hemisphere. If it were located on … Continue reading

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HiRISE image: Future Olympic sand-ski slope

Beautiful Mars series: Future Olympic sand-ski slope in Eos Chasma. More Beautiful Mars images.

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HiRISE image: Finding faults in Melas Chasma

Melas Chasma is part of the Valles Marineris canyon system, the largest canyon in the Solar System. It has been recently suggested that Melas Chasma may have been produced by an impact crater. To test this idea, HiRISE has been … Continue reading

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HiRISE image: Recurring slope lineae in Coprates

Recurring slope lineae (RSL) may be due to active seeps of water. These dark flows are abundant along the steep slopes of ancient bedrock in Coprates Chasma. The enhanced-color cutout shows a full-resolution sample. The RSL are most prominent on … Continue reading

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HiRISE image: RSLs and colorful fans along Coprates Chasma ridge

This site along a Coprates Chasma ridge shows what are called recurring slope lineae (or RSL) on generally north-facing slopes in northern summer/southern winter (latitude 12.9 degrees S, longitude 295.5 degrees E). With an animation constructed from multiple co-located images, … Continue reading

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Recurring slope lineae discovered deep in Valles Marineris

Discovered in 2011, recurring slope lineae (RSL for short) are narrow, dark lines on steep slopes. They appear and grow longer during the warmest time of year, then fade and disappear over winter. They recur in the same places the … Continue reading

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Mars’ explosive childhood

Mars is widely understood to be a volcanic planet — its surface shows abundant evidence of volcanic activity, both ancient and more recent. Spacecraft detect lava flows in many locations, and spectroscopic evidence of volcanic rocks lies almost everywhere. The … Continue reading

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

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

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Did ice and dust make layered deposits in Valles Marineris?

Vast mounds of layered material lie in numerous places throughout the giant canyon system of Valles Marineris, and especially in Candor Chasma, Ophir Chasma, and Melas Chasma. The origin of these “interior layered deposits” (ILDs) have been debated since they … Continue reading

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