30-April-2007, 09:02 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 9,862
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Don't Panic
Recently I became aware of some photos taken by the Mars Global Surveyor, that showed Vegetation on Mars. Now being the Bad Astronomy follower that I am, I remain very skeptical that this is actually vegetation. It seems to me that this is some sort of geological formation. But I was wondering if someone has another explanation.
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Not vegetation. Carbon dioxide eruptions, and the leftover patterned debris thereof.
NASA Press Release NASA Findings Suggest Jets Bursting From Martian Ice Cap
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Every spring brings violent eruptions to the south polar ice cap of Mars, according to researchers interpreting new observations by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.
Jets of carbon dioxide gas erupting from the ice cap as it warms in the spring carry dark sand and dust high aloft. The dark material falls back to the surface, creating dark patches on the ice cap which have long puzzled scientists. Deducing the eruptions of carbon dioxide gas from under the warming ice cap solves the riddle of the spots. It also reveals that this part of Mars is much more dynamically active than had been expected for any part of the planet.
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Quote:
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The team began its research in an attempt to explain mysterious dark spots, fan-like markings, and spider-shaped features seen in images that cameras on Odyssey and on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor have observed on the ice cap at the Martian south pole.
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