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Tag Archives: wind
Gale’s winds sculpted the Mt. Sharp mound as they built it
The major reason for sending the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity to Gale Crater is the five-kilometer (three-mile) high layered mound, dubbed Mt. Sharp, that looms at the crater’s center. The lowest layers have been altered by water
Posted in Reports
Tagged Aeolis Mons, atmosphere, climate change, Curiosity, dust, eolian, Gale Crater, katabatic winds, LPSC 2013, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Sharp, wind, wind erosion
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Dust drifts: new windblown feature on Mars?
Mars has ample loose material blowing around on its surface, a fact which has been known and studied for decades and more. However scientists have paid little attention to sedimentary deposits of dust.
Posted in Reports
Tagged dunes, dust, eolian, HiRISE, LPSC 2013, Mars Exploration Rovers, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MER, wind
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Blowing sand and moving dunes in Gale Crater
Curiosity, NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory rover, is exploring the floor of Gale Crater. Its main science target, however, is the giant stack of water-altered sediments that make up Mount Sharp, Gale Crater’s central mound. But to reach the mound, the … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Curiosity, dunes, Gale Crater, HiRISE, Mars Science Laboratory, sand, sand dunes, sand ripples, wind
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Wind triggers activity in north polar dunes
The sand sea surrounding the Martian north pole covers an area about a third the size of Earth’s Arabian Desert and is roughly equal in size to the Kalahari. Dunes are a common feature on Mars, just as in terrestrial … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged atmosphere, dunes, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, north polar sand sea, wind
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Mars dunes move as much as Earth dunes
Scientists have known for years that Martian sand dunes and ripples move as wind blows over them. But for the most part they thought the motion was small because the atmosphere is thin and high-speed winds are rare. Now new … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged dunes, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, sand, sand ripples, wind
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How old is Meridiani Planum?
The smooth, flat plain where Mars rover Opportunity landed in January 2004 looks spookily empty. Only a few rocks and meteorites, plus foot-high sand dunes and ripples, break the endless vista under a clear tawny sky. How long has the … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged craters, Endeavour Crater, HiRISE, LPSC 2012, Mars Exploration Rovers, Meridiani Planum, Opportunity, wind
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Watch for falling rocks
A new investigation of Cerberus Fossae using HiRISE images shows that Mars is probably seismically active now or in the recent past. The clues are tracks left by boulders as they rolled downhill. Gerald Roberts (University of London) and colleagues … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged Athabasca Valles, boulders, Cerberus Fossae, Elysium, fractures, graben, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, marsquakes, rockfalls, wind
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Ice cap winds spread polar gypsum
The north polar cap of Mars is surrounded by a vast dune field, about as large as Earth’s Kalahari Desert, that contains extensive deposits of gypsum. The gypsum’s origin has been debated since the mineral was discovered in 2005, yet … Continue reading
Posted in Reports
Tagged basal unit, climate change, CRISM, dunes, dust, gypsum, ice cap, katabatic winds, north polar ice cap, OMEGA, polar layered deposits, wind
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Phoenix lander soil: dry for a long, long time
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
Posted in Reports
Tagged clay minerals, Heimdal Crater, Phoenix lander, soil, water, wind
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More dust devilry in the air
Dust devils are the most dynamic feature on Mars, and scientists are zeroing in on how they work. An earlier Red Planet Report described dust devil motions as mapped by fortuitous simultaneous observations by cameras on two separate spacecraft. Now, … Continue reading