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Collection:
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NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Gullies in Trough near Gorgonum Chaos
Title
Gullies in Trough near Gorgonum Chaos
Title
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Original Caption Released with Image:
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Click on image for larger version This HiRISE image ( PSP_0 02014_1415) shows gullies in a trough that is near Gorgonum Chaos, a region filled with gullies. The trough gullies, like many of the gullies on nearby Gorgonum Chaos mesas, appear to originate at a distinct layer. There are mounds within the trough that have layers exposed near their peaks. The layers in the mound (see subimage
Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image
Click on image for larger version This HiRISE image ( PSP_0 02014_1415) shows gullies in a trough that is near Gorgonum Chaos, a region filled with gullies. The trough gullies, like many of the gullies on nearby Gorgonum Chaos mesas, appear to originate at a distinct layer. There are mounds within the trough that have layers exposed near their peaks. The layers in the mound (see subimage
Original Caption Released with Image
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Original Caption Released with Image:
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, approximately 230 m across) and on the trough walls are resistant, meaning they do not break up mostly into small particles that the wind can easily carry away. Instead, they are breaking up into boulders up to several meters wide that HiRISE can see. (The fact that the layers are eroding as boulders tells us that the material is not easily broken up into smaller and smaller pieces, so it is therefore termed "resistant to erosion.") However, it is not completely resistant to erosion as we can see by the boulders rolling down the slopes.
Gullies are thought by many to require liquid water to form. A major debate is whether this water comes from the surface (i.e., melting surface ice or melting snow) or the subsurface (i.e., from an aquifer). Gullies are often found to originate at layers, like those seen here. The subsurface water theory states that water travels under the surface to slope faces where it flows down the slope to form gullies. Visible layers are suggested to be impermeable, such that water cannot penetrate them, which is why the gullies originate from beneath the layers.
Often gullies will originate between layers, which suggests that there is a permeable layer trapped between impermeable layers. It is also possible that the layer preferentially traps ice or snow that may melt to form gullies, thus providing a surface source of water to form the gullies.
Please note that the stripe-like features on the left side of the image are camera artifacts and not real features.
Observation Toolbox
Acquisition date: 12 December 2006
Local Mars time: 3:48 PM
Degrees latitude (centered): -38.2°
Degrees longitude (East): 188.8°
Range to target site: 255.7 km (159.8 miles)
Original image scale range: from 25.6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 51.2 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning)
Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up
Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR
Emission angle: 7.3°
Phase angle: 65.3°
Solar incidence angle: 71°, with the Sun about 19° above the horizon
Solar longitude: 159.1°, Northern Summer
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo.
Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image
, approximately 230 m across) and on the trough walls are resistant, meaning they do not break up mostly into small particles that the wind can easily carry away. Instead, they are breaking up into boulders up to several meters wide that HiRISE can see. (The fact that the layers are eroding as boulders tells us that the material is not easily broken up into smaller and smaller pieces, so it is therefore termed "resistant to erosion.") However, it is not completely resistant to erosion as we can see by the boulders rolling down the slopes.
Gullies are thought by many to require liquid water to form. A major debate is whether this water comes from the surface (i.e., melting surface ice or melting snow) or the subsurface (i.e., from an aquifer). Gullies are often found to originate at layers, like those seen here. The subsurface water theory states that water travels under the surface to slope faces where it flows down the slope to form gullies. Visible layers are suggested to be impermeable, such that water cannot penetrate them, which is why the gullies originate from beneath the layers.
Often gullies will originate between layers, which suggests that there is a permeable layer trapped between impermeable layers. It is also possible that the layer preferentially traps ice or snow that may melt to form gullies, thus providing a surface source of water to form the gullies.
Please note that the stripe-like features on the left side of the image are camera artifacts and not real features.
Observation Toolbox
Acquisition date: 12 December 2006
Local Mars time: 3:48 PM
Degrees latitude (centered): -38.2°
Degrees longitude (East): 188.8°
Range to target site: 255.7 km (159.8 miles)
Original image scale range: from 25.6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 51.2 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning)
Map-projected scale: 25 cm/pixel and north is up
Map-projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR
Emission angle: 7.3°
Phase angle: 65.3°
Solar incidence angle: 71°, with the Sun about 19° above the horizon
Solar longitude: 159.1°, Northern Summer
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the instrument was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp., Boulder, Colo.
Original Caption Released with Image
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL/Univ. of Arizona
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL/Univ. of Arizona
Image Credit
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Produced By:
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University of Arizona/HiRise-LPL
Produced_By
University of Arizona/HiRise-LPL
Produced By
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Mission:
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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
Mission
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
Mission
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Spacecraft:
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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
Spacecraft
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
Spacecraft
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Target Name:
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Mars
Target_Name
Mars
Target Name
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Is a satellite of:
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Sol (our sun)
Is_a_satellite_of
Sol (our sun)
Is a satellite of
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Instrument:
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HiRISE
Instrument
HiRISE
Instrument
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Product Size:
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2048 samples x 2656 lines
Product_Size
2048 samples x 2656 lines
Product Size
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mars
facet_what
Mars
facet_what
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facet_what:
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MRO
facet_what
MRO
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
facet_what
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
facet_what
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facet_what:
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High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
facet_what
High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Denver
facet_where
Denver
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Mars
facet_where
Mars
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Arizona
facet_where
Arizona
facet_where
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facet_where:
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California
facet_where
California
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington
facet_where
Washington
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_when:
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12 December 2006
facet_when
12 December 2006
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2006
facet_when_year
2006
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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PIA09671
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UID:
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SPD-PHOTJ-PIA09671
UID
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA09671
UID
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orignial url:
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orignial_url
orignial url
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