Just when you start feeling good about your vast knowledge of Mars it throws you a curve. I was thinking I could tell the difference between a dry slide and a liquid eruptions.
Yep, I was the man. This image puts that in the crapper.
Area I- Looks like ice and or steam from water on surface.
Area II- Looks like boundary of wicked soil.
Area III- Looks like wet transitioning to dry slide.
Yup, the slopes of the crater in this HiRISE coverage are full of dark streaks all over. Most interestingly, i noticed some gully like features with exactly the morphology and size of that dark streaks with even some deposits within (boulders?) - i doubt such gullies can be carved by pure sand-avalanches. Look for them at about 8100,24000 in IRB map-oriented jp2.
Fred, I would consider your "zone 2" as shadows of the crater wall though (good to see in IRB jp2 data).
Unfortunatly this is elevated terrain and conditions for water to stay liquid longer is quite bad so no chance for pooling here
If we would find zones on Mars with frequent water outbursts (mud-vulcanos included), I definitly would send probes searching for life there!
Fred
Posts: 569
Reply: 2
Posted: April 20, 2009 11:27 AM
I agree that zone 2 could be a shadow. As far as pooling no, but eruption site ice with steam flash off could be what we are seeing.
