Astronomy Picture of the Day - Flat Rock Hills on Mars

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod ^ | 2 May, 2023 | Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS; Processing: Neville Thompson

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: Why are there so many flat rocks on Mars? Some views of plains and hills on Mars show many rocks that are unusually flat when compared to rocks on Earth. One reason for this is a process that is common to both Mars and Earth: erosion. The carbon-dioxide wind on Mars can act like sandpaper when it blows around gritty Martian sand. This sand can create differential erosion, smoothing over some rocks, while wearing down the tops of other long-exposed stones. The featured image capturing several hills covered with flat-topped rocks was taken last month by NASA's Curiosity Rover on Mars. This robotic rover has now been rolling across Mars for ten years and has helped uncover many details of the wet and windy past of Earth's planetary neighbor. After taking this and other images, Curiosity carefully navigated stones and slippery sand to climb up Marker Band Valley.

[MtnClimber]

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list.

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

[BigFreakinToad]

beautiful pix, I wish I could stand there.

[z3n]

Is it possible for rocks to form this way on their own?

Ancient alien theorists say no. Only intelligence far greater than our own could have strewn slaps of rock with such precision that they appear naturally random.

[No name given]

Pretty neat, actually.

[Freedumb]

So Mars atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide. Wouldn’t our global warming models then predict the temperature on Mars must be like a million degrees? And where did all the Martian SUVs that caused that level of CO2 disappear to?

[Telepathic Intruder]

"One reason for this is a process that is common to both Mars and Earth: erosion."

Except that while many forms of erosion exist on earth, for Mars it's mainly just wind and dust. Dust storms can reach over 70 mph.

[Rurudyne]

Looks like a shale, what with all the fine layers.

[Seruzawa]

True. But the air is so thin that you would barely feel it.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Yeah, the worst storm on Mars would feel like a light breeze here.

[z3n]

So Mars atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide. Wouldn’t our global warming models then predict the temperature on Mars must be like a million degrees? And where did all the Martian SUVs that caused that level of CO2 disappear to?

~~~

YES! Once carbon dioxide gets above a certain percentage, it causes run-away grrenhouse effect, increasing the pressure and temperature of the atmosphere!! Ahh ahhhhhh AHHHHHHHHHHH



(Global temperatures have absolutely nothing to do with real factors like mass of the planet or intensity of the sun's energy. Shhhh......)

[Mr. K]

Mars looks like it underwent some massive even that made a huge gash across nealry half the surface.

So much so that the entire planed is actually lopsided.

And all the rocks randomly strewn around like they landed on some previously flat surface.

And the huge surface gash looks like something electrical happened. Including the swirls of magnetic force lines at each end. But it would have to be massive.

[IndispensableDestiny]

So Mars atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide. Wouldn’t our global warming models then predict the temperature on Mars must be like a million degrees?

The atmospheric pressure on Mars is 6.5 mbar. On earth is is about 1013 mbar (14.7 psi). On Venus, which is hot as hell, the pressure is about 93,000 mbar (1350 psi).

[AFB-XYZ]

Reminds me of a place in CA that some buddies and I once spent a day in, seeing whose bike was the baddest of the badasses. Good times. :-)

[AFB-XYZ]

Ancient alien theorists say no.

That's because they have the wrong hair. Heh.

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

One of the current Mars rovers has an experiment called MOXIE. It proved that we can make oxygen out of the Martian atmosphere. MOXIE is a small device. On the large scale we can make quite a lot of O2. So instead of having to transport all the needed oxygen, once the large MOXIEs are up and running, we will not have to carry all the necessary oxygen.
Way cool.

[Bounced2X]

I’m not saying it was Aliens, but it was Aliens!

[Hiddigeigei]

"True. But the air is so thin that you would barely feel it."
Makes me wonder how we can fly little helicopters with cameras around in it.

[Hiddigeigei]

"True. But the air is so thin that you would barely feel it."
Makes me wonder how we can fly little helicopters with cameras around in it.