Polar Dunes Consolidation_by Wind Sun Water Dry Ice

I began a display of this HiRISE image in the far polar region in discussion about wind facing forward movement of small items, regarding a published claim of that process on Mars. That subject was in part responsible for the dune face slide in this image, I believe. Aside from the wind activating a slide, there is in this sub-image a view of ancient or even recent dune advance and retreat, consolidation of dune materials, or a dune remnant of a more substantial emplaced base rock with the dune shaping, and a process combination of wind direction, sun light angle into ices, and possible active geological mineralization or simple consolidation of dune materials in a liquid transitioning environment.
This is the two sub-images with the wind direction erosion pattern in light blue, the loose dune materials and consolidated material associations in perpendicular darker blue arrows, and the wind dominated frost streak fans between the green/blue arrows.
The first is slightly altered for the frost pattern. The second is reduced to 16 tones,accentuated for the frost and the slide/movement patterns.
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The source image HiRISE page. Image credits and detailed viewer and additional background information on the main image page here.
The two images were altered, but are faithful to most all general information.
Is the material remineralizing, or consolidating without mineral alteration?
Is a liquid state of water necessary for this tranformation?

The HiRISE main image page link.

The sub-image at the source, also linked through the main image page at the HiRISE image catalog site.

All the details are present in the original, but a little less obvious.

A 1 to 1 section of the IR greyscale JP2 lrge image, showing a few of the ways the dunes consolidate into the polygon and possible a layered solid surface groundmass.
The orange arrows show a few of the perpendicular fracture lines along the current dune base contacts with the patterned ground mass. The fractures there are at times only a single fracture if influence in distance from the current dune base, or at times and apparently where closest to the loose debris maximum formation zone towards the center of the image, the fractures extend some distance from the dune facing base.
The loose fill which is well formed into the patterned ground shapes but appears loose, is near the center area of the image.
Marked by blue arrows where the patterned fracture ground is forming.
The green arrows show the 'welting' type shaping of the fracture sections which I havw noticed is common on the low dune groundmass exposures in other polar areas as well.
This welting process of consolidation may be a more extensive and 'active' process than it appears in a simple view.
Some of the examples of this are simple linear rod-like shapes standing well above the groundmass level.
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An interesting process of building post dune surface elevation in a positive accrual.
Erosive effects within the dune base loose mass also seems to be happening, giving a scultural relief to the fossil dune contact with the solid groundmass.

The image at #2 above is at 1 to 1 size, a DR of 180 to 490, sharpened to 3.16, and rotated left(counter-clockwise) to -90 degrees.
This is a full dynamic range(DR) duplicate of the same scene with the full detail available through the IAS viewer available at the Arizona.edu HiRISE image gallery site. The viewer is provided by ITT through a link on the site, as a free solution to preliminary viewing of the large JP2 images, both color and greyscale. Selected images are taken as JPG's.
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Using unusual techniques to extract details from these photos can be mis-leading or erroneous at times, but this is a narrow tone range feature which appears to be very real and slightly visible along part of it's margin even in the full tone range image.
This is similar to other ovoid shapes and teardrop oriented ovoid type shapes in the image generally. I find the many overlapping patterns very interesting, as the majority of the solid patterned ground is not viewable, leaving these details as a set of rules for interpreting the overall appearance below the dunes.
At the intersection of the two arrows, within the narrow tone range set at the two smaller arrows in the chart at the upper right corner, is the dark nearly perfect oval set of at least two layers, overlain by two straight rods. The non-oriented shape, the position at the most well organized patterned loose dune debris zone, and the fact that this is seen through a thin loose particulate layer without appearing diminished by the patterned polygon type thickness variations of the overburden along it's margin, make it a curuiosity for me.
The many ovoid mounds which are simple in patterned shape, as stand-along shapes, is also interesting. This is fossil hunting for geologists I suppose.

What would give such a strong pattern within a narrow greyscale range on a slope in loose particulates, as this item is not much viewable at other tone range settings?

Are the mounds a by-product of dunes, or are they a separate record of other processes? Why patterned ground, and polygons, with nearly perfect shaped ovoids set overlapping them?
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An altered somewhat broader range of greyscale with the fan descent effects of lighting and edge margins causing a series of partial ovoids. Some of these shapes are forming the groundmass patterned consolidation ridges/fissures.
The combination of the slide gully elevation/depressions as radials from dune crests, added to dune base margin edges, and, aapently the sunlight interacting with the dune face base margins is building the groundmass as accrued solids from particulates. Whether the dunes are building with the full chemistry available, or remineralizaing utilizing only a selected subset of the dune material is not viewable.
This image simply shows the partial ovoids are related to the ovoid shaped mounds, forming with a consolidating process not viewable from this scale and disance.
This is the same area as reply #4 above, with additional ovoid patterns all oriented with the current dune face apex.
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Another area nearby showing the sharp erosion/buildup combined effects at the fromer and curent dune base margins as they match the solid brighter materials.
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The image above is at 1 to 1 size, below at 1 to 2. The DR is set at 100 to 750, shapened to 3.16. Location is x=20900, y=16200. Both removal and accrual is displayed in a simple set of shapes in this spot. A few dune crest descending bright sections are viewable. It is interesting that these do not appear lower than the short distance below the dune crests where they predominate the scene. I would have expected to see these at varied elevations along a descent path to the brighter material at the interdune bright solids.
These are evidently a separate process of material transience and possibly not integrated with the materials at the interdune bright solid accrual/erosion zones.
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The dune apex areas would be the first light and greatest early day energy spots, but the dune base margins would not qualify for that even in the highest sun angle of summer I believe. Would summer days activate the effects of the interdune accrual margins, or is the effect a winter ice activity of consolidation?
Is the erosive effects of the inner dune overburden on the bright solids a seasonal or a continual process?
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An interesting area just next to these areas above. This again shows the related dune ripples and particulate margins as they interrelate to the brighter solids fissure patterns and accrual/removal process.
Even the former bright fissure pattern shows the historical older pattern as related by the 'S' shaping along the right side section, as it nearly matches the slightly smaller dune ripples of the darker dune base on each the upper and lower dune face margins contacting the bright solids. The relationship is clear, but showing a accrual of material as distinct from an erosion breakdown would require the faith in presuming dune ripple patterns cannot mimicry the bright solids below them. It appears to logic that the dark dunes are accruing, building brighter solids belows, but the erosive effects of the dune darker mass provides a contradiction in the process. Building only on the dune base margins is seen.
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Has this effect been seen in detail at Meridiani in the Opportunity images? Is the effect not active at mid and equatorial latitudes? Is moisture quantity at the polar and sub-polar regions the activating factor in accrual/erosion, and is the process active in chemistry makeup?

Is dune re-mineralization underway generally across Mars, transitioning in balance with the climate and weather changes? Are gullies remineralizing at locations generally, or are the few obvious examples of gully superstructure mineralization processes a location by location event process?

Are there any dark slide events evidenced in the photos seen here? Dark mass items seem missing from the dune crests as well as missing dark slide activity.

One quick addition to the list of images.
This is at 1 to 4 size, with a newer and slightly larger monitor. The landscape images should make more sense with a better perspective of view, or field of view.
This isn't yet balanced well for color, but is close, and it is not sharpened as yet.

The area covers the patch at reply #5, and the landslide by the HiRISE team release. I'll have to work at the image details to bring it into view.
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I'll work on my settings and return with an improved image.

A sharpened version of the previous image at reply #7. The slide on the steep dune face is not clearly caused by any particular evidenced process, but the full image drifts from heavy ice cover on one end of a dune sequence, to lighter and lighter ice cover at the other end of the full frame large JP@. This slide occurs toward the ice free end, and has probably been a transitioning micro-climate zone now and over time.
The upper right shaped inter-dune bright patch shows clear evidence of the interaction of the dunes and the patches. all the three bright patches here show that active process to some degree. In some other HiRISE images the interaction is not so obvious as a currently active process.
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This states the size scale as 1 to 2, so the prior entry was wrong. It was stated as 1 to 4 scale in reply #7. Size 1 to 2 should be correct.
An additional section nearby showing the way the dune crest action is related to the movement of material to the inter-dune patches.
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Near to these image sections along the full frame margin of the JP2 color image, is one of the most unusual items I have been unable to explain . This matches many circular 'pits' or crater-like spots on the bright patches of patterned and solid material. What the timing and causes are for this is beyond my viewing in the image as seen.
This appears to be a small cone with a pair of elevated cylindrical extensions, issuing into the air, and horizontally across the surrounding similar materials. The amount of smoothness and apparent translucency or a slight increase in blurriness of the two emerging features even gives an impression of movement or other differentiation from the complex 'coral or sponge' type patterning. It is difficult to dismiss this assembly of detailed parts interactively giving a appearance of a geyser or fossilized relict of some active complex object here.
Location x=22910, y= 4110. Size here is about 6X the normal full size in HiRISE JP2's. More views at other color/contrast/brightness balances forthcoming as well. The sharpness has been varied in these, as I cannot see sufficient detail to reorient the details to explain the appearance of an emerging set of vertical elevated items from a cone at an angle to vertical. Rotating this gives an appearance of at tilted cone, and it is surrounded by other similar indicators of a semi-liquid flow with several margins across the image section.
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This item is about 6X of full size, altered for details, and is located within the bright patch at the right side of the other image in the entry. It is near the margin of the full frame JP2 image.
Any assistance in an ID on this object?
I'll present a few other variations of this before moving on.

A mistake in the entry #8, now, as I had not yet added the parent image for the 'cp50' filename above which seems to show a outflow feature in it. The two images above are not the same spot.
This is the location for the cone with extended objects, and all are near to each other in the JP2. This parent sub-image is centered at about x=22250, y=4200. The precise location for the feature is at #8 above, correct in figures.
As the items do not cast much shadow, compared to nearby shapes, they may not be elevated as they appear. Dune/ridge shaping can be deceptive at times. All around are other flow shapes, however.
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Another altered closeup of the bright patch, intermediate in size between the two views.
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The final largedt size view of these images, again, requires a series of two pages, with a final mouseclick on the lower right corner for the final large image. The host finds the technique a preference for internal reasons. The details are better seen in the final largest image size.

Dana,

A classic moisture cone. A sub-surface eruption and moisture plum deposition. That is all. It is really that simple.

Fred

We have seen this before, downwind of the caves. A moisture plume is all.

Speculation is the start of science. Do not speculate with knows and visible data.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2242/2182124643_ce10d94c06_o.png

Do not speculate with unknowns. We can all do that. Lets talk about the spirit. That should keep you busy.

Have we been here before? Let us get past basic physiology.

Fred

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw1bHaUk1CM

I digress. Some more Waylon.

Fred

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW61U6NktYE&feature=related

It does appear that the single cone is active when the photo was taken. I haven't heard of asny acknowledgement as yet of HiRISE poeple finding this item as an active cone, but the imaging is very low in contrast, and the details have to be resolves a little beter to show normal small cone features.
There are many of the small circular mounds and concentric patterned cones and semi-spheroid type elevated objects with very well ordered component parts. I get the impression of very large crystalline masses, and remnant erupted materials other than volcanic hot melt rock. As Mars is much colder than Earth we can look forward to a record of volatile releases with less surface manifestation of melt rock, perhaps.
I don't spend much time on the music and other social arts. I should stay tuned to in better, but these images are a full time challenge for me.
The moisture plume possibility in this cold Martian environment should give a local appearnce of a winter wonderland, with snow/rime ice all over the area.
I am discussing this subject now on a newer topic related to the polar region dune processes, and the ice involved. I will add more here later.
Thanks for the entries. This has become a very quiet blog with all the mission results weighing persons down. I'll be years working on this, as there are thousands of HiRISE images, and many competing missions to Mars and other destinations.
Your concept of the winter direction for the bright material deposits makes sense, as the summer reversed wind direction would be carrying energy sufficient to sublimate whatever CO2 there was, and allow the water(H2O)ice to be carried well away without deposition, possibly. Also the summer winds would cause the steep dune faces to drive the wind upward to a more turbulent and better mixed level.
This water ice gets around, like the drop of rain that comes again and again, and again.

It does appear that the single cone is active when the photo was taken. I haven't heard of any acknowledgement as yet of HiRISE people finding this item as an active cone, but the imaging is very low in contrast, and the details have to be resolves a little better to show normal small cone features.
There are many of the small circular mounds and concentric patterned cones and semi-spheroid type elevated objects with very well ordered component parts. I get the impression of very large crystalline masses, and remnant erupted materials other than volcanic hot melt rock. As Mars is much colder than Earth we can look forward to a record of volatile releases with less surface manifestation of melt rock, perhaps.
I don't spend much time on the music and other social arts. I should stay tuned to in better, but these images are a full time challenge for me.
The moisture plume possibility in this cold Martian environment should give a local appearance of a winter wonderland, with snow/rime ice all over the area.
I am discussing this subject now on a newer topic related to the polar region dune processes, and the ice involved. I will add more here later.
Thanks for the entries. This has become a very quiet blog with all the mission results weighing persons down. I'll be years working on this, as there are thousands of HiRISE images, and many competing missions to Mars and other destinations.
Your concept of the winter direction for the bright material deposits makes sense, as the summer reversed wind direction would be carrying energy sufficient to sublimate whatever CO2 there was, and allow the water(H2O)ice to be carried well away without deposition, possibly. Also the summer winds would cause the steep dune faces to drive the wind upward to a more turbulent and better mixed level.
This water ice gets around, like the drop of rain that comes again and again, and again.