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Martian teardrop carved in crater
NewScientist.com news service ^ | 18:04 24 August 04 | Maggie McKee

Posted on 08/26/2004 7:29:38 PM PDT by ckilmer

Martian teardrop carved in crater

18:04 24 August 04
NewScientist.com news service


Wind sculpted basaltic sand dunes millions of years ago (Image: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin G. Neukum)
Dark, rippling dunes of volcanic ash - similar to Hawaii's black sand beaches - cast a teardrop shape in an ancient Martian crater, reveal the latest images from Mars Express.
Wind is likely to have carved the 12-kilometre-long tear shape a million or more years ago when the Martian atmosphere was thicker, says Gerhard Neukum, principal investigator of the High Resolution Stereo Camera on Europe's Mars orbiter.
Now, the atmosphere has thinned so much that the dune's shape is likely to remain fixed for at least hundreds of thousands of years, he says.



Perspective views such as teardrop take hours to process by hand (Image: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin G. Neukum)

The sand's dark colour suggests it is basaltic, or volcanic in origin. Neukum believes an impact created the 45-kilometre-wide crater perhaps a billion years ago, ejecting the basalt from a subsurface layer of volcanic ash.

The fact that the sand remains dark - as opposed to reddening with time - suggests the material has not been altered by water or other chemical processes.

Elliptical path

"This blackish, bluish material was not so much known before," Neukum told New Scientist. Unlike Mars Express, previous orbiters have not been able to image the planet in full colour and 3-D. "Previously, one could not distinguish it very well - it appeared darker but it could have been any colour."

The camera, which has been taking data since January 2004, captured the latest images in May at a resolution of 16 metres. The two-kilometre deep depression lies in a basin of craters in Mars's southern hemisphere called Argyre Planitia.

"The HRSC is doing very, very well," says Neukum. But he adds that right now the camera is taking images for just 10 minutes during each of Mars Express's seven-hour orbits. That is because the closest part of the spacecraft's orbit, which takes an elliptical path around the planet's poles, changes with time.

Now the closest approach is relatively far from the planet and occurs over the planet's night side, limiting photo opportunities. But the geometry will begin to improve again in September.

Maggie McKee


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: crator; european; lava; mars; volcano
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1 posted on 08/26/2004 7:29:40 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: ckilmer
Someone alert Richard Hoagland.

On second thought, don't.

2 posted on 08/26/2004 7:32:44 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Mr. Mojo

who is Richard Hoagland


3 posted on 08/26/2004 7:33:49 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: ckilmer

Some freak who's made a living selling the "Face on Mars" nonsense.


4 posted on 08/26/2004 7:34:41 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Mr. Mojo

I don't think anything like that is being claimed here.

the resolution is too good for any confusion


5 posted on 08/26/2004 7:36:27 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: ckilmer
Yeah, I know.

Cool formation.

6 posted on 08/26/2004 7:37:13 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Mr. Mojo

Looks pretty cool.

As for Richard C. Hoagland...well, he probably already knows about this one, and is currently ready with another one of his absurb theories.


7 posted on 08/26/2004 7:42:38 PM PDT by Simmy2.5 (Kerry served in Vietnam. Really. Just as the Swift Boat Vets.)
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To: Mr. Mojo

He's probably going to claim that some ailen carved this out to show their sadness of Mars losing it's atmosphere. :-P


8 posted on 08/26/2004 7:44:12 PM PDT by Simmy2.5 (Kerry served in Vietnam. Really. Just as the Swift Boat Vets.)
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To: Mr. Mojo
Richard Hoagland: "Clearly evidence that our ancient Martian ancestors were artists as well as advanced scientists is this teardrop expression of their failing atmosphere, probably caused by global warming from the activities of their most prosperous society. Therefore, we should elect John Kerry and shut down America's economy. It's the only way we are going to survive. Besides, George Bush is part of the evil conspiracy to oppress all my ridiculous nonsense from getting out to the gullible public."
9 posted on 08/26/2004 7:45:10 PM PDT by broadsword (Let's respect "holy" Muslim sites like they respected those giant Buddhist statues in Afghanistan!)
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To: Simmy2.5

< / chortle> .....And he'll use "sacred geometry" to "prove" it.


10 posted on 08/26/2004 7:45:32 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: ckilmer

That's some teardrop...12 km long. I'd hate to see the eye it came from


11 posted on 08/26/2004 7:46:12 PM PDT by Stag (Kerry, Lenin, Chirac - which one doesn't belong? Kerry. The others love their country.)
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To: Simmy2.5

LOL! You beat me to it while I was typing.

(I'm too darned slow!)


12 posted on 08/26/2004 7:46:37 PM PDT by broadsword (Let's respect "holy" Muslim sites like they respected those giant Buddhist statues in Afghanistan!)
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To: Simmy2.5
It's tailess sperm ... the water dried up, the tails shriveled off and life ceased to exist on Mars.

A few got away in special rockets and made it here to become Democrats.

13 posted on 08/26/2004 7:47:18 PM PDT by knarf (A place where anyone can learn anything ... especially that which promotes clear thinking.)
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To: ckilmer
We went all the way to Mars to see this? At least with the Tenn-Tom which cost 10 billion and ten years to complete we got some great fishing spots.

We need to hire some help for all those folks in Washington who tell us how to spend our tax dollars.

14 posted on 08/26/2004 7:47:36 PM PDT by Luke (u)
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To: Luke

I think was done by the european space agency.(their money)


15 posted on 08/26/2004 7:51:50 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: knarf

I'm starting to grieve now.


16 posted on 08/26/2004 7:53:12 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: Mr. Mojo

don't see no 19


17 posted on 08/26/2004 7:54:08 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: Mr. Mojo
Some freak who's made a living selling the "Face on Mars" nonsense.

Ah, the immense sense of self-importance one gets by calling someone else a freak.
18 posted on 08/26/2004 7:56:04 PM PDT by aruanan
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To: aruanan

You an expert on that?


19 posted on 08/26/2004 7:57:11 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: broadsword

:-P

I guess I did beat you. However, you put more detail in Richard C. Hoagland's response. In terms of which is the better response, you get the points.

That being said, IMO, the only thing Richard C. Hoagland cares about in politics is, whomever gets us to Mars to prove (disprove. *Snicker*) his crazy theories. True, he probably believes some of the crazy conspiracies surrounding Bush. But, since Bush announced the Moon/Mars plan, he's actually semi-happy about that (though he probably wants it to be immediate. :-/).


20 posted on 08/26/2004 8:46:39 PM PDT by Simmy2.5 (Kerry served in Vietnam. Really. Just as the Swift Boat Vets.)
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