[kinsman redeemer]

IMHO - you are looking at a slide on a talus slope. Nada mas. Unexposed material is now exposed; it is unweathered and unoxidized and brighter in appearance. It is probably high in iron.

IMHO.

[bd476]

kinsman redeemer wrote: "IMHO - you are looking at a slide on a talus slope. Nada mas. Unexposed material is now exposed; it is unweathered and unoxidized and brighter in appearance. It is probably high in iron.

IMHO."

That's interesting, Kinsman Redeemer. :-)

If you have a few moments, it would be good to hear further about what makes you believe that. Thanks.

[Unmarked Package]

"IMHO - you are looking at a slide on a talus slope. Nada mas."

They discussed this possibility at length in response to a question by a reporter from the New York Times. In summary, they conclude it's not likely to be a dry slide because; 1) previous observations of disturbed or displaced surface material on Mars invariably produce regions darker than the surrounding area, and 2) dynamic analysis of the structure of the flow strongly indicate a fluid was involved in the process.

[Raymann]

I don't think so, if it were unoxidized iron that would mean the earth on top was pretty compact. If it slid down then it would not have crumbled like that to form those splinter streams. The slope isn't that steep, the material would have to be the consistency of sand or less to flow like that.

[verum ago]

IMHO - you are looking at a slide on a talus slope. Nada mas. Unexposed material is now exposed; it is unweathered and unoxidized and brighter in appearance. It is probably high in iron.

I'm not going to pretend to know much about geology, but (a few IMHO's here) Mar's atmosphere is primarily CO2-- there should be essentially no oxidation taking place, meaning that the inside and outside of rocks and and the tope layer and inner body of a talus slope should be basically chemically identical (and therefore the same color). Also, the article notes that the tracks left by the Rovers, whirlwinds, and the interiors and ejecta of new craters have all been pretty consistently darker than the surounding, undisturbed material.

[RightWhale]

A few years ago, when they were seeing trees and subway systems on Mars, there were images of what could have been lava tubes that had become exposed by weathering. To me they looked like ice, not tubes but solid like ropes going here and there under the surface. Just plain ice formed under very low atmospheric pressure.