Tag Archives: water

Steam jets made pits in crater floors

Posted on September 14, 2012 by rburnham

At first glance, the floors of many large impact craters on Mars have areas that appear smooth and flat. But a closer look at some of these flat floors shows a much more rugged landscape, where one small cuplike pit … Continue reading →

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Methane in a flash

Posted on September 10, 2012 by rburnham

Martian methane is a hot topic because of its potential origin in biological, as well as geological processes. Observations (Earth-based and from Mars orbit) have found only a small quantity of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere of Mars — … Continue reading →

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When Gale was young

Posted on August 9, 2012 by rburnham

With Mars rover Curiosity safely down on Mars, scientists are set to explore the geology and history of Gale Crater, searching for evidence of habitable environments, ancient or modern. Gale Crater has attracted much study since it became a candidate … Continue reading →

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Last Martian Ice Age still waning

Posted on August 4, 2012 by rburnham

The neutron and gamma-ray spectrometers on NASA’s Mars Odyssey discovered that water ice lies at shallow depths from the polar regions down to latitudes of about 55° north and south. Images of very recent craters by the HiRISE camera on … Continue reading →

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“Blueberries” could date when Meridiani rocks were last wet

Posted on June 20, 2012 by rburnham

The relative amount of three chemical elements contained in Martian “blueberries” might offer scientists a way to date when these spherules were last inundated with water, according to recent research. Rich in the iron mineral hematite, blueberries are small concretions, … Continue reading →

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Mars Rover Opportunity explores Cape York

Posted on May 4, 2012 by rburnham

Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity reached the south end of Cape York, a segment of the rim of Endeavour Crater about 700 meters (2,300 feet) long, on August 9, 2011. Scientists and engineers examined several targets there before driving the rover … Continue reading →

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Sea cliffs in Libya Montes?

Posted on April 24, 2012 by rburnham

New work suggests that three possible shorelines from ancient lakes or seas in Isidis Planitia lie in Libya Montes. These mountains form the southern rim of Isidis, a Noachian-age impact basin 1,225 kilometers (760 miles) in diameter. They lie along … Continue reading →

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Pitted deposits in Mars craters point to subsurface ice

Posted on March 19, 2012 by rburnham

Studies of pitted deposits in crater floors appear to indicate that subsurface ice has been more widespread on Mars than previously thought. That’s the conclusion of a team of reseachers led by Livio Tornabene (University of Western Ontario), who reported … Continue reading →

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Water-carved channels on crater debris

Posted on February 10, 2012 by rburnham

Medium-size craters less than 3 billion years old often show water-carved channels in their debris aprons, according to a new study of mid-latitude craters in Arabia Terra. Previous studies had reported that such features on ejecta aprons were rare. Nicolas … Continue reading →

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Phoenix lander soil: dry for a long, long time

Posted on February 8, 2012 by rburnham

NASA’s Phoenix  spacecraft landed on the high northern plains of Mars. Among its instruments were optical and atomic-force microscopes. A team of scientists led by Tom Pike (Imperial College, London) used these to measure the size and number of particles … Continue reading →

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