A_New_Years_on_Mars_in_Ice_2009

We have seen hundreds of icy tundra and windswept patterned terrain images from HiRISE and the other MRO satellite instruments. Many of the ice patterns are somewhat familiar from Earth satellite photo equivalents concerning wind patterned surface features. Some of the cratering is becoming common expected repititiousness now, with nearly no Earth similar terrain available, but, with many Mars patterns becoming a new type of acknowledged terrain based upon impact alteration of polar layers.
What can we assume about the detailed terrain at close hand from the HiRISE images, adding to our first imaging of the icy sub-polar zone at the new Phoenix landing site which gave a close view of the ice environment materials?
How many expeditions will be required to gain a full set of the human scale terrain features available exclusively in the Mars polar regions?
Are the features in the polar layered margins and nearby all actually a subset of the standard terrain of Mars in non-polar areas?
Can we agree that Mars is not the same in the far North and South as the mid-latitudes where all the other rovers and landers have taken evidence? Is the terrain unigue at the poles, especially in the smaller scale detailing?
A New Years hello from the HiRISE site, on the index page(time limited presentation).
Some of my observations of the ice. Please add your own in addition.....

I have made an entry as 'reply #1' in this topic, currently being 'held for moderator approval' upon my posting it today. This is New Years day Jan.1, 2009, at my home in the U.S. I'll add a second entry which should be read as 'reply #2' now, as my content here consists of images which require some concentration, and a source set of images and a viewer which readers should spend some time downloading and studying. The requirements for detailed viewing of Mars is a little tedious, but just a few years ago it was impossible to view this degree of detail, and a few dozen years past, even the basics of surface terrain and material content were unavailable. We are priviliged to see Mars at the scale of homes and automobiles with these new satellite images. Trickling brooks of running water would miss our gaze even now, but the water saturated ground, frozen ice patches, and the deeper trails of running water excavation would be seen in these photos, if water were running over time recently.
It is worthwhile to study these original HiRISE and other mission photos on your own computers by trying the viewers which are free for personal use. Links for that are at the HiRISE main site page.
My entry #1 showed some images drawing to a 1 to 1 scale full detail view of elevated surface features showing above the dark soil/mineral layer at the margin of the polar layered ice. The shapes interacted with the ice and the dark underlayer to give shape to some dark streaks. The objects and the dark streaks may be a series of related processes, or, a separate chance occurance of two patterns of ice, sublimation/melting, and possible cratering or mineralization/alteration of the solids and liquids which were right at the current surface position where the features are now appearing fixed in place.
I discuss these matters of causation as open and not understood, as we have all had trying times in the past five years interpreting the details of the Mars missions. Over time additional missions will perhaps open even more questions, rather than simply answering those I am asking today.
This is an additional ice margin scene in the same source HiRISE greyscale full frame image. These marked objects may be items which I interpret wrongly as elevated, and well organized characteristics of processes requiring names, or, they may be objects which are either ancient or contemporary, and which are actively controlling and organizing the ice layer domain of the polar ice zones of Mars. The timing is important. Whether these are active, or influential as a process type separate from wind blown deposition is also very important.
I am hoping we can answer these questions on marsroverblog.com with the imaging given by the current MRO satellite, and the several ground missions.
Many of you have experience in areas of study which would help in the details.
PSP_001640_2640.
At 2 to 1 size imaging there is some pixellation breakdown of the imaging, but the items are very defined by tonalities, shading, and physical relief indications.
These are not what I expect from ice driven by the wind, even if the wind caused vortex braiding which was somewhat stable in micro-climate patterns.
Can these be related to the wind and deposition at all? Are these an ice based phenomenae, or is these a residual of liquid, melt rock, or other chemistry which is either active prior to the ice, or ongoing and interactive with current icy conditions?
I see these as current in geological timing, and conditioned by the presence of either ices, or active chemistry and crystallinity processes.
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Location: x=10008 ,y=27515 . Size 2 to 1, or 200% normal maximum viewing. Varied DR settings, some detailed objects marked.

What are the processes and objects?

I think one thing is clear.

We have to land humans on Mars if we want to obtain accurate answers to these questions.

We'll learn more in one human mission than we would in a thousand robot missions.

I have to admit that if the safety factor were not the determining matter between the two general approaches, I would completely agree. Currently we can't get humans there and back safely, and the challenge seems to me a huge variation in cost even in simple dollars. I support manned space missions, and unmanned both. I support a strong program to get there in recent times.
I do know that the cost of a billion per mission for MRO type craft which will stalk an entire planet or moon for several years in active survey work is a preconditioning requirement for landings anywhere. The safety factor is only one consideration in any missions beyond the moon and Mars. There is a sharp division in manned missions beyond the domain of the two nearest neighbors. We really can't plan any safe missions beyond that distance in the short term, involving human transport. I believe we can at some future time, if social support is present to supply the investment.
The real problem is that the MRO type craft can be built in any current year, and launched at will to any close neighbor, which has a stable solar equatorial orbit and direction.
If the available resource is present and safe, it certainly is the closest to a 'sure thing' for current planning.
With the length of the lifespan of the MER rovers, we can also co-ordinate ground follow-up work to resolve basic matters of presumption, rather than attempting to gain a full view of a planet or moon from a single invested manned landing site selection.
The only secure way to select a landing site, either manned or unmanned, is to launch and map in detail as we are now. It is successful, and very inexpensive compared to all prior missions.
The MRO type mission is also extremely safe in human and economic terms. We have an industry, and the launch facilities are going to be available in several countries which have a very stable and safe history of prior launches.

We may make better use of MRO type satellites by updating and upgrading the equipment, or adding to current used systems, but the device has a Earth bound historical safety/success record, and that is now extended to the planet Mars.
The mission to map Mars is only slightly touched upon with a few percent of the planet imaged, and we have many, many, JP2's which cut off terrain and items with much of the basics not yet recorded. We have a partial program and process which begs for a finalized investment.
Why let a partial success become a pattern of neglected opportunity in the preparations for a first manned flight?
Additionally humans never could accomplish what the MRO has performed, and never could provide the level of overview which the robotic satellite can give 'by wire' even with good human judgment from two hundred miles. Additionally, humans cannot give a supportive part on a firmly bound orbital vehicle with a temporal life in orbit. They must be able to return, at great cost, and using almost all the approach payload capacity of the arriving vehicle.
We are talking about two types of craft and missions. The two are not comparable. The MRO type mapping is very educational, and even the long term education benefits to future and current school children and college students/trainees will pay for a few additional missions.
I also don't have many plans for my 'free' time after downloading all these current images, and it makes me nervous to travel one way into a limbo land of a partial minded view of Mars. There are many other targets we could design MRO devices for. Some adjustments in a Cassini/MRO type craft would be necessary I'm sure for distant trips and smaller bodies.
Currently these ice cap images are showing me information which most here at marsroverblog.com would have scoffed at just a few years ago. The amount of ice margin drainage and ponded depressions is rather unexpected, and the large scale organized active current tectonics of the ice upper and lower units are showing signs of a history of transport lanes which cannot be wind caused, and which follow a general pattern of a spreading zone even to the solid ground elevation. Below ground level evacuation is only seen and studied at close range, and by satellite. It is never done by humans in a lander or a orbital quick pass mission of casual viewing.
Weather is also a study which can only happen from a long term orbital satellite.

I don't mean to sound as stubborn as I am, I simply can't generate an alternative method of doing the required inevitable work with any other technique.

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In regard to the ice margin 'curly' terrain patterns which are intertwined and dominant, they remind me of the 'curly fries' we are offered in the U.S. as a food from potatoes. They are very out of phase with the wind, gravity transport paths, and prior adjacent linear formations.

I'll try to present a few more images from this and other HiRISE ice margin views closeup. These images aren't the most detailed possible.

Thanks for the reply, I'm always listening, although not continuously these days,

Here are a few images just to show how one area versus another at similar latitudes will reveal differing effects of microclimate and local circumstance, even producing a varied melting process.
As we all expect the Mars lack of atmospheric pressure to cause sublination of liquid, even in dunes and powdery dust, this is an example of the real Mars. A planet where liquid sapping and mineralization is routine. Cemetation of the ground soil surface is possible, as the material melting routinely can achieve a state which allows transport in directions not bound by gravity or the wind. These patterns occur on both poles of Mars, and between.
To assure those who are skeptics, many of these dark streak areas are causing landslide falls in the tenuous particulate dune steepest slopes. Gravity does have it's way with all Earth and Mars bound things. The exceptions are these trickling/wicking/sapping paths which are not bound to gravity entirely.
The dark streaks are not all bound to follow the wind either.
This is PSP_007553_2635.
The first and second image are at 1 to 1 size scale. They are all sharpened at either 1.72 or 2.20.
This is the ice cap scarp margin zone where the dunes are just starting from the ice scarp, with a dusty layer covering much of the dune slopes.
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I'll post a few more images of this JP2, PSP_007553_2635, and then return to the first image in this topic.
This is so hard to accept with persons clamoring that the ice cannot melt and sap across a dune as a liquid potential from melting frost and ice cover.
This may yet even be a process other than the simple melting or sublimation of ice/frost.

A few enlarged, or altered interpretations of the spot at the first two images in reply #4 above. These three small dark spots which drain in a non- landslide type path towards a pooling, wicking, ponded condition, prove the presence not only of liquids in transition are possible, but, also shows that the liquids can erode, alter, and pond in low angle slopes or depressions. This is common in the artic polar zones of Mars where the CO2 is not dominating the water ice at all times. CO2 ice will tend to prevent any liquid formation of water ice, and when liquid water is stable in the presence of CO2 ice, the CO2 ice will sublimate and gasify quickly. We do not have the ability to analyze small spots this limited in size as yet by satellite, but somedsay soon it may be possible. There is enough dark spotted ponded residual material here to consider a CRISM spectral analysis, but I am sure the dominating dunes and frost would give the primary figures from an attempt.
Again this is PSP_007553_2635. The size here is enlarged in the IAS viewer to 2 to 1 size, and then each was altered in XNView, to extract aspects of the details of the small dark splotched sources for the dark streaking liquid(s). Unidentified, and presumed to be water, it could be a number of other liquids, even an active process not simple in content mix. The colors are all false, originating at the 'IRB' HiRISE color balance approximately, and there is considerable breakdown of the JPG sample source unaltered IAS image. The middle dark spot has a boulder at it's center. Elevated, and very differing in color and tone, it is clear upon alterations, only to disappear as I try to extract all other information about each dark area source of the liquid.
The lower dark spot has a rectilinear shape near it. on the margin of the dark area. It is probably a real shape, although these are all objects to be questioned, of interest in seeking the sources of the liquid. In these altered images, even medium sized ripples possibly could give linear shaped patterns which might somehow have a differing coloration for some reason.
The upper dark area, seems to have what in the unaltered image appeared to be a angular polygon shape of varied color with little change of shading tone. In the altered images it seems to be real, with sharp edges, slightly irregular due to low elevation and dune ripple interference, It may be a zone of altered conditions only, bounded by the approached dune ridge lines which nearly match the outline of the apparent shape. Perhaps a depression slightly which would gather frost,ice, or other caus of action, leading to the draining or wicking of the liquid material. In a dune, I am surprised to see polling or a drainage other than cappillary wicking outward and downward through the particulates. Normally particulates are like magnets to metal in presence of a liquid, if the charges are not incompatible. Some minerals are hydro-phobic, or repulsive to liquids, but it is fairly rare for a loose assembly to resist a elevated liquid resting on it.
The drainage paths are clearly not at all a solids path type. The small width actually diminishes as the material transports downward, and the path is not continuous and simple in curvature, but a complex transport in transiting to the area of the complexly curved finger extentions. The material does not seem to 'wick' across the lower surface material in a diffusion pattern as would happen in a loose particle support for a less than viscous liquid.

The dark streaking seems to have the qualities of both a semi-solid, and a liquid in transitig and pooling. Most of these dark streaks in this steep dune terrain show the expected lighter fan lobes of debris upon the dune crests decaying where the dark streaking is happening. The dark streaking is almost NEVER the lighter fan lobes of solids, and often is seeking a differing path of narrow channels of transport around and to the sides of the lighter solid particulate dune materials which have been motivated along the streaking gully formations. It appears that there is two causes of action, and two materials in activity here in the are in general. Dark streaking is distict from the simple paths of the lighter solid paticulate slides, moving in tendem or at alternating timing and directions.
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As can be seen, with any altered images, the original sources are the only source of real accuracy from which to confirm the information found in an altered image. Seek the large JP2's if you can, for the details I show. I find details in a few percent variation of color or tonal change(shading or actual brightness difference) and those items are apparent, but not always the most important pieces of the puzzle. I think the original images taken into close view can show most all these items I have found. I am hoping a few others will make the extended efforts I have here, in all the HiRISE images, as much is below our viewing threshhold levels we are accustom to.

The middle dark spot rock-like shape is real, and a 3D elevated item.
The upper dark spot 'zone' with a sharp margin is really present, but it may or may not be a altered surface, or missing layer of ice or other material, or an actual polygon of some type content. There are some central large smooth lumps of bright material seen in the upper dark spot, opposing the tonality of the dark material basis, and they may be residual material in transit, or ripples altered in tone, possibly even a similar material to the middle dark spot larger item. I can't see that much detail to decide.
The lower dark spot source does seem to have a four sided object at it's margin, in the same colors and tonality as the dune material. It may be angular dune ripples in patterned sum, but is more likely some type of layered or slab-like item, of some substance. There seems ot be vacuosities or rock/pebble type surface interference in surface texture on it. That pattern is not much differing from the dune ripples which seem to be present continuously across the entire lower dark spot in an unvarying pattern to the outlying area around the dark spot. In other words, there is no evacuation of these dark spots to produce a solid flow downslope, and the surface is appearing unaltered after the dark flows are occurring.
A source for the dark material flow is not seen.
A cause for the dark spots may be suggested by the presence of sunlit and preferentially heated items within the dark spots. I see no competing objects at any other adjacent dune crest slope areas other than the dark spot sources. It has a science basis for explaining a melting condition leading to a rapid liquid transition downslope.

The downslope path counters the wind direction.

Some of the dark streaking gullies show a very distinct path of dark material in thin drainage separate from the lighter and straighter, wider paths of the dune slides which establish gully evacuation activity.

The dark material appears very distict from lighter dune slide materials in many and most streaking spots.

Please pardon any typos, as I have little proof-reading time today. Hoping to hear some analysis of my thoughts and/or the images. More images later today.

Another corner of the PSP_007553_2635 JP2 color source full frame image here shows a pattern of brighter toned dune material carried down-slope by the active dark spot processes, along with dark material which is located in the lower elevation fallen fan debris combined material, with the darker material behind the fallen brighter recent material. It is impossible to know whether the dark and the brighter material fell over tine, simultaneously, or in sequences of ordered alternating brightness, however, the darker material is at the bottom of the fallen material, in the viewed sequence currently. This completely contradicts the claim by many that the darker material is made of a differing content which is stably dark, simply covered by brighter airborne ambient dust cover at the stable position as seen. We can see that the dark material has a history of being covered by bright material without equal affect of dust accumulation, and with the two differing brightnesses being a stable difference based upon a dark material being a separate source material, not the same at the source, and not the same upon the fall to the resting place. The brighter material is newer, at some time scale, and is inherently brighter all across it's surface exposure, at this time, compared to the older darker material. Both items have brightness figures which do not cross the other in brightness absolute range, and show they are very distinct and separate in tonal ranges. That is an unusual characteristic, as both seem to have arisen at the same small dark spot zone. Both are existent in current climatological conditions as two separate tonal ranges and do not cross the brightness sector of the other, with the darker on the bottom, and the newer brighter topped by an even brighter ridged pattern of very bright material appearing similar to ice ridges. Wet material would be thought normally to be darker, especially in infra-red sensors, if liquid, with ice being brighter by far. The darker material is dark in IR(infra-red) in this image, and the brightest ridges of the debris fan are bright in IR. The age of the fallen material in this sequence does not show age as the determining factor in brightness of the fallen or transported material. If the darker material was a recent sequence item, and weakened the upper slope, causing the original fall, and being at the bottom of the sequence, with later falls being brighter for whatever reason and conditions, the brightest ridges of the topmost bright material is now capped by very bright material as the most recent conditioned effect. The lightening of the darker material seems to require a great passage of time, while the brighter top layer originated at the dark spot, as a brighter material, remaining bright and differing in all conditions of physical movement and makeup as a brighter material. No matter of movement has altered the brighter material to a darker tonality. This seems to prove that the darker materials and activities are nor tied to a simple uncovering of bright surface dust cover. The two materials are a set of two materials with stable tonality ranges over a long time period. The darkness is not a matter of simple movement or removal of dust.
Two levels of dark material in an apparent sequence of cascading separate falls here, showing what appears to be an equivalent to a rapids or waterfall sequence, with a pooling of stable darker material in current terms, and apparent historical prior sequences under the current fallen material as a evidence of long distance transport across or through the dunes in a secondary fall pattern. If the two are separate falls that assessment may be wrong. The mass of the dark material at the bottom of the smaller fall at the left side of the image, seems to show a volume which would indicate accumulation of dark material greater than a simple local source would explain.
A large debris section of intermediate tonality seems to show a far larger transport at a distant prior timing only in the lowest leftmost fall area. This gives the impression of a dark material, accumulating lower in the depths of the dune particulate assembly, with the more yellow, and unusual horizontal layer found only at the lowest dune elevations at this sub-image frame view.
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The darkest areas are the source dark spots in most all images, not the areas of dark material fallen. movement again, is not effective in darkening material of the dunes.
The dune materials in a fall do not darken much.
The dark spots are not a darkening caused by movement of brighter dust. The brighter dust, if it occurs to lighten the dune surfaces, is being altered in conditions which are not simply physical movement, but actually cause a darkening of the viewed surface dust. Dust albedo, if the dust is present, is altered to a differing figure, and the dust may later brighten over a great time period again.

Three views, one overview at 1 to 1, with two two closeups of side by side sub-sections seen at 2 to 1 of normal JP2 size.
IRB color balance approximately, sharpened at 1.96, and 2.68, respectively.
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A somewhat lighter dark tone setting for the last image, as not much surface information seems to be present fro the dark residual debris at the lowest elevation. The dark material seems to not diffuse at it's boundary after the fall, unless the outer margin of slightly darker material is that caused effect. The intermediate material around the lowest elevation dark leftmost fall is sharp in tonal edge variance from the bright material, and seems to be a single tonal narrow range, not graduated to it's outer margins. Is that a separate former very dark fall, or a diffusion process of a volatile?
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In these images all are rotated from the HiRISE site original image orientation. The current views are taken at -208.9 degrees rotation. The image was not 'map' oriented in the original, and I rotate these for proper gravity downward appearances in elevation orientation, to follow logical viewing. The angles of camera taking is rather extreme at times, and the dunes are at all angles of incidence. It can be confusing for us all, I'm sure.

Why is ice, if that is the cause of the debris brighter ridges, not affecting the darker material as well, at the lowest elevations?

Post fall dark material does not from bright ridges.

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Images processed through the free IAS HiRISE JP2 viewer supplied by ITT, a source of terrain mapping and graphics programs for professionals. The resulting JPG's are presented here, both directly, and at times altered slightly in XNView(a photo/graphics editor).

To correct the typo above at reply 6, that non-sensible term(next to the last line) is 'form', not 'from'. I have a few excuses, but they aren't very convincing. You can make up your reasons for dyslexic typo's, it probably won't help much, and it's all just noise to me. Sorry, again.

The photo host has a required two pages that open now, with a double click on the final full sized image required. That is a change recently, and the process is a little slow and distended. On my machine I have set it for separate windows or tabs, so you may want to mouse-click the final state of the image, to chaeck for a still larger image. Most are about 1600x1000 pixels in final size on a screen.
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A few more closeup's of draining dark material which is clearly not a solid in motion, as it ponds, alters terrain surfaces, drains, wicks, seeps, and generally behaves as an active and probably liquid chemistry. The bright cores of the top dune cover, or other lighter material has very unique shapes and textures along the surface within the dark spots at the upper elevations. Those surface textural patterns are not normal for the dunes where they are not dark. The green only color section shows a low depression which shows a very active chemistry by some cause, with the darkest material ponding at the lowest elevation. Former activity here was extreme for most dark spots in comparison. Former slide material there is now appearing light in tone with bright ridges at the dune light material, and again the darker material is the base of the slide, it's smoother margin, and other lowest elevation sections of the slide material. Gully formation here is more a physical diffusion of the dark material with a apparent weakening of the dune face allowing a ledge to slide 'in mass'.
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This is the far right bottom corner of the large JP2 color original, when rotated to -208.9 degrees, allowing a vertical gravity fed orientation for the scene.
Notice the wind pattern in all these details is showing a dual path away from the dark spots of a lighter frost(?) streaking across the shallow slopes of the dunes. This opposes the drainage of dark material down-slope in most all dark areas.
Dark material drainage again does carry any significant volume of dune material with it when the volume of dark material is insufficient to trail to the bottom of the slope. Most of the dark streaking is therefore not sufficient to produce gullies in remainder for future viewing, even if the streaks lighten over time. The number of dark streaks compared to the number of gullies most be many times in number.
The volume of dark material in comparison to the action of the gully formation activity must be many times in volume.
If the dark material is a liquid it would be predominantly under the particulate surface, within the dunes. The bulk volume of the dark material must be many times the viewable volume, if the dark material is disseminated as a liquid in the dunes as appears to be the case.
The fracture/faults are permeated by dark material easily, and may be the dark material primary transport lanes if the dark material is in motion as a liquid, or a motion prone semi-liquid, or a mobile object type, or even possibly a gas volatile.

Any disagreement? Please be specific.

Seven lines up from the bottom of the last post at reply #7 should read 'Dark material drainage again does NOT carry any sign...'.
I ommitted the word NOT which I'm sure is confusing to those who aren't yet following my concepts in agreed to terms.
The matter of other claiming the dark material being the solids in motion on slopes, rather than my claim of a varied type of material in phase or chemistry arrangement, prehaps even being a foriegn type of material from the dune standard materials in localized distribution, is a major difference in interpreting the HiRISE photos. Formation of gullies, erosion of faults and fractures, and generally, and, the volume and transport of water and other potential liquids are a subject upon which much of the current Mars missions are concentrated. The results will determine whether manned missions ever become practical, and determine why geology appears ongoing in such a dry terrain.

The next few images are small multiple dark streaks broadly issued from limited dark source spots, with a general shallow drapery of descending material in a nearly continuous but very limited sheet along the entire dune face. The minor movement has caused no darkness except at only the dark source spots in a few limited zones. The dark streaks are not much dark, only intermediate in darkness. The dark narrow streaks are the very core of the altered, moved surface. The remainder of maximum movement is not darkness, but an a slight darkening, with the maximum darkness found at the bottoms of the slides along the outer margins of the sliding materials. The dark material has underlain and fronted the very overhanging edges of the material which was in movement, and is now absolutely contactual to the lower realm of the slide material only. The dark material does not overly, nor merge content with the elevated or formerly moving material. Segregation of material into a low lying dark thin layer, and a thick three dimensional mass of former moving lighter material is very clear in the three images of the dune face provided here in this reply entry.
Other dark spots exist at each substantiol dark streak, with same characteristics. Nowhere does the record of resurfaced streaking show darkness greatest at the zones of movement. The material which has separated to the thin lowest layer is the greatest mass and surface coverage of extremely dark material.
A bright zone of material has formed at the depression extended beyond the largest debris fan, towards the smaller dark streak deposition locations. Whether the bright section is an ice or bright dust ripples is a little unclear, but it is differing from the other adjacent dust dune/ripple section which is nearby.
In an environment where extremes of cold are cycling, I would expect the available liquids to be supersaturated or simply nearly saturated enhancing the acidity or other cold preferenced chemistry balance, giving a altered chemistry from a view of fresh water descending a slope from frost/ice accumulations. I suppose timing and materials will be known eventually, along with an answer as to whether more than frost and ice are active here. Localization of dark source spots is interesting, and suggests something specific as a cause, with a large volume of dark material cascading into the lowest elevations and ponding or pooling, perhaps descending even below the viewable surface to an active zone, or cycling back into the dunes for further cycles.
The location for these is on the image titles in your browsers or staus bars. I can enter it if requested.
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A few quick images from the greyscale JP2 full resolution image as well.
These are first an overview of the lower dune section of the image, and the remaining three are at 1 to 1 size, sharpened to either 2.2 or 3.4. I'll give more information and a detailed assessment of these tomorrow. There is clear thin layer drainage, gully formation at a short elevation of travel, and a very bright residuasl freezing remainder of parts of these sub-images. The dark material is her altering to a very bright condition in the infra-red sensors, and remains dark at the dark spots.
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Hope these entertain you as they do myself.
This scene appears much like chinese wall calender or landscape graphic.

Same original. A few views of a nearby short dune face which shows possibly a very important set of features. Here the brightest material is a low horizontal layer at the base of the dune. Not right at the current surface, and not far above the current neaghboring surface level. There is anither layer above that, apparently less visible, and the dark material has not seemed in this instance to have carried the brightest material in a suspension to subsequently release it outside the dune morphology as in the previous imaged subsection. This layer looks very homogenous ans lacks even front scarp recesses, or other variation, and the thickness is remarkably equal where seen.
Interesting surface dune ripple shapes, fractures which show how the dunw will fail mechanically at times when the dark areas cause gully formation, and a display in positive, then negative, of the dark spot source surface textural shaping.

These are at 2 to 1 size of normal full resolution HiRISE imaging, so this is the limit of detail to be seen. Location is on one of these file names. I'll explain more tomorrow.
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We here of gypsum in the dune faces at the ridges from CRISM results. Can the brightest material be gypsum, and can the gypsum also be carried with the dark dune transiting material or liquids downslope to well separated new location, looking as a deposit of water ice would appear at the lower/lowest elevations?

I live around the 'Glass Mountains' a Gypsum laden region in Oklahoma, and I have never seen Gypsum move that way as a newly consolidated bright separate deposit even at the base of mesas and cliff scarp faces. I need a geologist to explain or assess that as not Gypsum but a water ice deposit in the prior entries.

Here is a page of one of the most recent releases at HiRISE. PSP_010446_1266.

This image should put to rest the repeated assertion that dark spots on dune crests are producing dark streak uncovering of a dark material. That falacy is just not accurate much of the time.
Dark streaks here are very obviously a follow along to dark spots.
When I return tommorow I'll give some images from this source image to prove the idea.
The brightest highlights are also along the trail of the gullies, and not at the dune crests here again, as in the prior images. The brightest materials are adjacent to the darkest materials. Two chemistries or two phases of a single chemistry, not mobile material uncovered from under light dust.

Several source HiRISE images are now being displayed in this topic. I am sure it is somewhat confusing for those not accustomed to reading on this blog, to find a collection of original images competing for attention, with some switching of the topic between a listing of entries. I suggest you review the basic statements of each prior referenced entry I mention when I change between source images. It will prevent the confusion that is normal when simply reading the entry list on subsequent dis-connected days.
This entry refers to the source image at reply #11 above. I have an image at 2 to 1 size, or 200% normal HiRISE viewing size, of the dark spots along the fairly new gullies of Russell crater. These are showing that the concept of dark spots on dunes leading to, or being examples of a removal of a bright surface thin layer dust is not a realistic assessment of the 'dark spot leading to gully formation' process.
The dark spots are an aspect of a larger process of dune and scarp decay by a process which is only indirectly viewed. We are seeking single explanation in the formation of gullies, and, in the formation of dark spots areas, and dark streaking.
This image gives the corrected view of dark spot areas as a distnct but related separate process to solid gully removal and tranport activity. Darkness is not necessarily equated to the movement of solids along gullies, nor to the formation of dark spot areas in non gully formation zones.
There is viewablr evidence that dark spot areas are actively reorganizing and showing a severe 'dis-affinity' action to the surface brighter ripple material in some dark spots which are not in movement prone sloped areas. The dark spots in this image are active along slopes of gullies which have some history & which now have some surface ripple surface textures, and, these dark spots show how specific and localized dark spot areas can be on slopes where past movement was related to the nearby formation of dark spotted terrain.
I have other images to present about this source image, PSP_010446_1255, later today.
This is a view of the darkest tones without much sharpening. It is near the center of the HiRISE site index page sub-image of the gully assembly.
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The prior entries of #11 & #12 referenced a crater not confined to the polar zones specifically, but which is reported to have C)2 frost along the dune crests, providing a varied climate of water ice, dry ice, and particulate dune assemblies for harboring ices, possible liquids, and gases from frost and sublimation. The dunes will also 'breath' to some degree as the daily and seasonal weather pattern is fluctuating widely. The first image above at #12 is lightened and altered from the HiRISE normal brightness to give a view of the dune steep edge with the patterned dark spotted terrain and the related gully structures. The terrain is similar, even identical, to the other dark streaking all across Mars, at both polar regions, and to a lesser percentage at more temporate zones.
We see a process actively defacing the dunes and cliff scarps, giving dark streaks and dark spotted areas.
The landscape is slowly transformed by these processes.
The process is active geology, and, whether the actions involve possible biology or similar crystallographic and chemical processes is as yet undetermined.
Some of the simple image areas appear analogous to simple imaging of biological processes at a closer scale of view.
Hortonheardawho has just introduced a topic about the effects of sunlight through C02 crystals, as differing or similar to lights passage through H2O as it affects photos of Mars. In a similar vien of interest the effects of these cliff craps and dune crests are acted upon by both CO2 and H2O frost, ice, and gases. Liquids in transience, or confined, are possible also.
As the Earth cannot sustain a frost or ice of CO2, and is permeated by the alternative, liquid water, to the degree that Mars is influenced by CO2, we have a laboratory of variations in geology and biology to study.
I have links to Horton's topic here, and to an interesting related abstract from Science focused on chirality in chemistry, as it relates to organic materials in a particular instance. I happened to cross this today in reviewing a past alert of a Science publication, and while looking over the Google search listings of CO2 crystal structure, and related H2O ice listed articles online. The subject of the chiral or handedness of organics being limited in type, and the charlity of chemistry in general is a fascinating subject, as the designs in Mars photos shows a great orderliness, even a higher ordered, or a scaled size display of crystallographic tendencies which would not be seen to as great a degree in Earth bound photos.
The influence of a stable supply of moisture in volumous amounts on Earth in all climate zones has reduced the effectiveness of organized structure of materials. Billions of years of breakdown have given us on Earth a poorly structured stratified soup mix at large scale imaging. We can still see samples even here on Earth, but the two planets show the effects of climatic and chemistry variation as a difference in basic terrain features,

After the images at #11 & #12, of PSP_010446_1255, at Russell crater, here are views of the dark streaking along two sides of a dune, closeups of 'gully'/ravine processes with a a higher ordered display of the crystallographic causation, and minor details following that subject, relating the dune crest fracture, dark spotted lineages along them, the alcove/gully fallout resulting from weaknesses in the scaled structures, and closeups of the 'wrapped' and 'layered' dune crest zone where the organization seems to be large scaled chiral type pattern display.
These details all seem to be related by circumstance. Are they all one geological, or combined geo and bio related assembly at a scale unseen?
Was this type of environment one which would result in organic structuring or complex assemblies, in the transitions between phases of ice, liquids, and concentrated gases? We are always told of the source of life as a 'water immersed' environment by requirement. A briney or saturated particulate assembly can be stable over vast lengths of time. It seems here to be ordering entire dune areas with secondary transition materials, ongoing, even in the Martian environment. Do you believe these structure are stricly devoid of organic content, and is the structural process one which precludes life or organic processes in aspects, or partial content?
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I hope while looking at these you can decipher much of my file 'shorthand' system to adequately understand the image cropped areas and enlargements. A few standards I try to use:
1. sp=sharpened usually a HiRISE scale from the IAS viewer. commonly 1.0(1j0) to 10.12(10j12)
2. sz= size referenced to the IAS viewer standard of 1 to 1 as 100% of the larger JP2 image files. Objects a square meter can be seen at 1 to 1. I can produce information at 1 square foot in many, at an enlarged size, but unreliably, in many others.
3.DR, or dr= dynamic range. A scale of 1 to 1023 for color and tonal/brightnss variation. I use every possible variation in that range, to varied degrees of success or disappointment. Some dark areas have no information, leaving a view of the software and 'machine' noise patterns.
4. y= the location of the pixls as they are ordered by the source image files. These relate to the JP2 large file numbers, and you can find all my items by those numbers.
5. rot, or rt= rotation by degrees. The minus figures are left rotation, positive figures are right rotation of the source file original orientation.
6. PSP_,or psp_= the prefix of the original file source image number, followed by the image number sequence of location/item, and an orbital number for the timing/sequencing database.
7. cp(##)= my personal numbering sequence for each larger original as a file listing of sub-images.
Other shorthand references are used, but not often.
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An over view of the Russell dune area where the entry #12 is shown. These are a normal 'auto' HiRISE IAS viewer sub-image, and a lightebed version showing the two primary types of dark streaks at this location. They are classicsimilarities to dark streaking all across Mars, except in some areas where impact or 'dustdevil' events induce dark streaking. Other causes probably exist, including undiscovered reasons for dark streaks.
This scene ties the dark non-movement streaking, to the cliff scarp, or dune crest gully and dark streaking processes.
Chance assembly, or one process?
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Here is a view of the illustration used in the sciencemag.org abstract display. Until I find a method of linking to that image for you, this view is the only method I can use to show you the similarities of Martian gully terrain features, and the experiment in polymeric chirality syndrome chemistry behavior.
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The Science article and publication is current, and on the 'sciencemag' issue for this current weeks alerts. Link at Hortons's,above in this entry.

Science 9 January 2009:
Vol. 323. no. 5911, pp. 237 - 240
DOI: 10.1126/science.1165607

Title:
Self-Organization of a Mesoscale Bristle into Ordered, Hierarchical Helical Assemblies

Boaz Pokroy, Sung H. Kang, L. Mahadevan, Joanna Aizenberg*

I'll post examples of the Mars equivalent geo-forms in a subsequent entry.
At this point, I am going to cycle my machine, as I have been doing editing all day with it, and it needs a clean-up before continuing to post image links. More images be posted today from this original.

As the post was successful, even with a few typo's once again, I'll continue with the closer views of the dune crest and gully face.
The image index page at HiRISE gives a view of this area of the dune cresat in a differing color balance. I used both the 'auto' balance, and a hand selected set of full brightness range values for the various subsequent sub-images I produced in the IAS(from ITT) viewer.
These are mostly marked in the file name as to settings partly. Most are 1to 1 views, or 2 to 1. A few as you can see are lightened to show some shadow content in a photo editor I use.
These are along the gully prolific face of the dune, where the sunlight forms bright glare at each of the 'intergully' lobes, which form well organized repeats of similar highly ordered assemblies. Perhaps someone knows the particulars of this assembly.
Along the dune crest are regulr spaced fracture type joints which lead to the individual gully margins. I displayed this in a prior entry of another main HiRISE image at the polar ice cap zone. This is not in the polar zone, but dark streaking, and runoff type appearances exist here as well as the other main image. The fractures have a concentration of the darker spots along the fracture lines. Here the lines appear nearly parallel. Ib the more polar location, the lines converge to form triangular pairs with the dune face linage. The gullies form within the downslope movement of the interior of the fracture pairs. The structure which produces that weakness is apparently seen in the closeups here at Russell crater. I did'nt mark the photo detail, and can supply a marked closeup if requested. It is one of the more obvious patterns in one image section.
A pair of complex curved symmetric lines margin a gully in that display.
The paired fractures seem to be a mirroring of that structured weakness.
All along the dune crest is a patterning similarly of 'overlapping mirrored linear patterned repeats. The mirroring and symmetry does not dominate the erosion scene, but the general pattern does dominate.
Some of these are at a sharpness of 2.2, some at 5.0, and some at 10.12.
The sharpness variations allows the details to be seen in a different light effectively.
Some of the darker spots show distinct wrapped linear pattern follow-along in the overall assembly.
Many of the 'welting' type rod-like shapes have become intertwined in the darker spots at odd angles, and retained as rod-like items.
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Adjacent area, side by side.
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Two adjacent views at differing sharpness/focus from the IAS viewer.
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The dark material here forms localized soptted zones along the gullies, and along the well patterned dune crest ares where the fracture/dislocations are formed.
Across the dune on the far side are sets of dark streaking eruptions which varied in appearance and sequenced by age, apparently. The source locations for those when they are active may or may not show some dark material solid emergent object on the dune base, rather than the crest. I'll include that in my next entry.

If you look at the darker dune crest objects in the prior entry, it appears that the larger items are 'wrapped' in a single directional pattern, whereas the gullies themselves for in a duality of mirrored patterned shaping. That is not clear in all gullies, but it is very clear in one example. Possibly the limited domain of dark spots gives a preferred orientation. Sunlit side, or the shadowed side possibly, in the obvious overall pattern of gully formation along a equally lit regular repeated access to sunlight in this instance. Again, is the orientation a matter of chance or simple environmental chemistry? Relatively equal lighting for each relatively equal sized gully.

From the right side of the overview image, approximately 30 degrees to the opposing side where the gullies were formed.
Here is a view of the far side of the same dune at Russell crater. Here the dark streaking appears as a cannon of some force, issuing from verious well spaced former side by side locations historically, and now seen as a single active item.
My closeups are at 200% for the basic views, with the magnified closeups at 400% and 800%. In some I can see what appears to be an object of solid and very dark content at the dune face. I have another view with only a single color channel which seems to show no viewable item, only a forced spray source of a very concentrated point of issuance.
The interesting detail is that there is no indication of any material, solid or liquid, building up at the source, right at the dune particulate face. This would have to be a heavy powerful gas, liquid, or solid spray to reach a distance of the hundreds of feet length of the dark streaking.
The colored margin of the dtreak shows not much preference of wind drift direction, and the same is true for the more aged inactive second dark streak.
Both streaks seem to have some physical object shaping at the outer limits of the darker streaks at about the same distance.
If the material was thrown from that distance it would have to be a high powered expression. More likely, it is a by-product of the accumulation of a consistent spraying effect from a single process.
As you can see the viewer is not capable of showing detail at this size scale, in dunes. I could see a solid modeled object at this scale if it were shaped and sunlit. I'll try to better these images.
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These are the best I can produce from all color channels combined with this dark object at the dark streak source. I'll try a different approach in viewing this possible solid object.
Another post about this tomorrow.
What possesses this power as a concentrated source, other then a hot spring type liquid source? How can any object not litter the nearby source area with blowout and back-spray, and diffusion? Even the colored outer margin is clean and well defined as a single distance of out-throw. Are the solid objects in the outer limits a single occurrance indication?

With a free registration, you can use this link for the image and article above.