The ubiquitous presence of ice in the Martian mid-latitudes
Click for original image.
Cool image time! The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, rotated, and sharpened to post here, was taken on November 28, 2022 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Labeled merely as a “crater with mesa”, it gives us another example of the presence of glacial ice in the mid-latitudes of Mars.
That mesa is what planetary scientists have labeled “concentric crater fill,” a glacial feature found in numerous craters throughout the mid-latitude bands from 30 to 60 degrees latitude. The ground in the terrain surrounding the crater could be also be impregnated with ice, but based on the location as shown in the overview map below, it is just as likely to be lava.
In fact, the location of this particular crater illustrates why concentric crater fill might become the best source of ice for future colonists.
The white dot east of the giant shield volcano Alba Mons on the overview map to the right marks this crater’s location. It sits at 38 degrees north latitude, in a volcanic region where the ground is mostly lava and most glacial features are found confined within craters like this one.
The global map below, from this 2019 paper, also shows us the value that glacial-filled craters will have for future Martians. Green and yellow indicate what scientists call lineated valley fill (LVF) and lobate debris aprons (LDA) respectively, glacial deposits that are in many ways most similar to glaciers found on Earth, flows heading downhill along natural geographic features. Magenta represents concentric crater fill (CCF), glacier features in craters and which are very evenly distributed across both the northern and southern lower mid-latitude belts.
As you can see, even in mid-latitude regions where there are relatively few glacial features, settlers will still be able to find relatively nearby craters with glaciers within them, like the one above. I can even imagine some settlers setting up a homestead at particular craters, making their living mining and selling the ice to others.
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In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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Click for original image.
Cool image time! The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, rotated, and sharpened to post here, was taken on November 28, 2022 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Labeled merely as a “crater with mesa”, it gives us another example of the presence of glacial ice in the mid-latitudes of Mars.
That mesa is what planetary scientists have labeled “concentric crater fill,” a glacial feature found in numerous craters throughout the mid-latitude bands from 30 to 60 degrees latitude. The ground in the terrain surrounding the crater could be also be impregnated with ice, but based on the location as shown in the overview map below, it is just as likely to be lava.
In fact, the location of this particular crater illustrates why concentric crater fill might become the best source of ice for future colonists.
The white dot east of the giant shield volcano Alba Mons on the overview map to the right marks this crater’s location. It sits at 38 degrees north latitude, in a volcanic region where the ground is mostly lava and most glacial features are found confined within craters like this one.
The global map below, from this 2019 paper, also shows us the value that glacial-filled craters will have for future Martians. Green and yellow indicate what scientists call lineated valley fill (LVF) and lobate debris aprons (LDA) respectively, glacial deposits that are in many ways most similar to glaciers found on Earth, flows heading downhill along natural geographic features. Magenta represents concentric crater fill (CCF), glacier features in craters and which are very evenly distributed across both the northern and southern lower mid-latitude belts.
As you can see, even in mid-latitude regions where there are relatively few glacial features, settlers will still be able to find relatively nearby craters with glaciers within them, like the one above. I can even imagine some settlers setting up a homestead at particular craters, making their living mining and selling the ice to others.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
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