What causes puzzling
dark spots,
spider-shaped features, and
fan-like markings on the icecap at the Martian south pole?
Usually, there are
dark spots, typically 50 to 150 feet wide, that are spaced several hundred feet apart and that appear every southern spring as the
Sun rises over the icecap. The dark spots last for several months and then vanish, only to reemerge the following year after winter's
cold deposits a fresh layer of ice on the cap. Even stranger, the spots seem to reoccur annually in the same locations.
The research of Astrogeology (USGS) Space Scientist, Timothy Titus,(left)
in collaboration with Hugh Kieffer (USGS-retiree) and Phil Christensen of ASU research, appears in the August 17, 2006 issue of the
scientific journal Nature.
Perchance they’ve solved the riddle,
although Titus says, “There remain some outstanding questions."
Previous studies suggested that the dark features were areas of early ice defrosting and exposition of dark soil. However the Mars
Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) showed that the temperatures of the spots indicated they were far too cold to be
bare soil. "We started looking at all of the THEMIS infrared and visual images in the Cryptic region, looking for an area that demonstrated the
dynamic nature of the spots," Titus said.
"Phil was the one who discovered this area, which we call
"Manhattan Island" due to its appearance.
We then targeted the THEMIS cameras to take almost daily pictures of the region.
The result was a blockbuster movie of one of the most dynamic regions on Mars.
Continue reading "Astrogeology’s Scientist Helps Solve Martian Riddle"
Posted by Janet Richie
in Astrogeology
at
14:45
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