NASA Discovers New Gully on Mars

Space.com ^ | March 20, 2014 | Mike Wall

[12th_Monkey]

A NASA spacecraft has spotted a big gully on Mars, a feature that appears to have formed only within the last three years.

The powerful HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) imaged the channel, which is found on the slope of a crater wall in the Red Planet's mid-southern latitudes, on May 25, 2013. The feature was not present in HiRISE photos of the area taken on Nov. 5, 2010. NASA unveiled the image on Wednesday (March 19).

While the Mars gully looks a lot like river channels here on Earth, it likely was not carved out by flowing water, NASA officials said.

"The dates of the images are more than a full Martian year apart, so the observations did not pin down the Martian season of the activity at this site," officials wrote in a description of the gully image on Wednesday.

But, they added, "before-and-after HiRISE pairs of similar activity at other sites demonstrate that this type of activity generally occurs in winter, at temperatures so cold that arbon dioxide, rather than water, is likely to play the key role."

However, MRO has observed other Martian features that do seem associated with liquid water — dark streaks known as recurring slope lineae.

RSL lines snake down crater walls and other slopes during warm weather on the Red Planet, and some researchers think they're caused by briny water that contains an iron-based antifreeze. Direct evidence of flowing water at RSL sites, however, remains elusive.

[a fool in paradise]

It’s a trench for the cable tee vee lines to go in.

[maine-iac7]

Spring melt-off :)

More ‘white stuff’ on top of ridges than first photo?

[married21]

Well, I guess it’s not Bush’s fault.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

The Martians obviously need to be told what to do by a version of the EPA to fix that!

[Pecos]

Subtitle: “EPA defines new gully as wetland - prohibits any improvements to the area.”

[UCANSEE2]

I think that viewing these photos at the link might help us understand a little more about the 'geology' of Mars.

Thawing 'Dry Ice' Drives Groovy Action on Mars

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

[Moonman62]

RSL lines snake down crater walls and other slopes during warm weather on the Red Planet, and some researchers think they're caused by briny water that contains an iron-based antifreeze. Direct evidence of flowing water at RSL sites, however, remains elusive.

That's far more interesting.

[12th_Monkey]

Ha! The gully was caused by the plane...yep seems reasonable

[12th_Monkey]

I’ll look at it again.

I don’t think it’s flowing water but slushy dirt like you said. But for there to be a gully, thats pretty significant movement of material.

[12th_Monkey]

I had forgotten about the core.
Mars has a spotty magnetic field, so while it still may have a core, it’s not spinning like ours. Thanks for the clarification.

[12th_Monkey]

Damn squatters.

[Ken H]

Currently designated as 'Gully G'.

(thank you very much!)

[freebird5850]

I don’t think it’s flowing water but slushy dirt like you said. But for there to be a gully, thats pretty significant movement of material.

What we are seeing here are pics taken in the off season of the Martian version of "Gold Rush" mining site!

[12th_Monkey]

I can’t stand Dakota Fred

[tet68]

Martian contractor forgot to put up a silt fence.
MEPA be down on him in a minute.