[meteorite-list] Mars Global Surveyor Impact Crater Photos

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 14:55:35 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <200612062255.OAA12151_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

MGS Impact Crater Photos

Here are new Mars Global Surveyor impact crater photos released
today. The MGS photos revealed that 20 new craters between 2
and 150 metres across have appeared on Mars since 1999.

Ron Baalke

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http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/slideshows/mgs-20061206/slide6.cfm

Groundwater May Be Responsible

Gullies beneath a small crater on the rim of a larger
crater. This image supports the hypothesis that the
fluid responsible for the gullies came from beneath
the ground, either as groundwater or melting of
subsurface ice. The impact that created the larger
crater caused an initial set of subsurface fractures.
Then, fractures from the second, smaller impact provided
pathways for groundwater to reach the surface on the wall
of the larger crater and spill down the slope.

Full image and caption:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/images/pia09031.html

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http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/slideshows/mgs-20061206/slide7.cfm

Impact Craters

Before-and-after views of an impact site. The top image
was acquired in 2002, the lower one in 2006. Details
evident at the impact site show how the blast moved dust
around and interacted with craters and other small
obstacles on the ground

Full image and caption:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/images/pia09023.htm

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http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/slideshows/mgs-20061206/slide8.cfm

Fresh Crater with Light-Toned Ejecta

While most of the new impact craters found on Mars by
Mars Global Surveyor have dark ejecta patterns, a few
of them also have light-toned ejecta, indicating that
the impacting meteorite excavated to a depth where a
light-toned material was present. This crater is in
Arabia Terra.

Full image and caption:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/images/pia09025.html

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http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/slideshows/mgs-20061206/slide10.cfm

New Craters

The left image was taken in 2001. At right is the
"discovery" image, acquired in 2006. In each case, a
white box indicates the location of the Mars Orbiter
Camera narrow-angle image for which the context image
was obtained. For scale, the white boxes are 3
kilometers (1.9 miles) wide.

Full image and caption:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/images/pia09020.html

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Received on Wed 06 Dec 2006 05:55:35 PM PST