A big sideways slip on Mars
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter today released an image of a really spectacular transform fault on Mars, a spot where the ground cracked and two sections moved sideways to each other. In this case, the sideways movement was about 300 feet. The image is posted below the fold.
Compare that with the Japanese magnitude 9 earthquake on March 11, which only shifted the seabed sideways 165 feet while raising it 33 feet. The quake that moved these two pieces of Martian bedrock sideways must have been quite a ride.
Some additional comparisons: The fault is located in Ius Chasma, a side canyon at the western end of Valles Marineris. Valles Marineris is the largest canyon in the solar system, and would completely cover the United States if you put it on Earth. Ius Chasma is only a small side canyon estimated to be about 550 miles long and about 5 to 6 miles deep. Yet, that makes it five times deeper than the Grand Canyon and twice as long.
The image below shows the overall region where the fault is located. Though the fault lines up with the northwest-to-southeast ridge to the southeast, there is no obvious evidence of faulting along or beyond the ridge (shown more clearly in the full uncropped image). A close look at the uncropped wide image also shows more faulting to the west on the same plateau, but none nearby below or above the plateau. This suggests that even though the ground shifted a great deal to produce these particular faults, it probably did it in a somewhat localized manner.
There are many other faults visible in the wider image, suggesting also that there were multiple events that shook the ground.
However, though it seems safe to assume an earthquake caused these faults, scientists really don’t know at this point. We have never placed seismographs on the Martian surface, so we really have a limited understanding of its innards.
Now available in hardback and paperback as well as ebook!
From the press release: In this ground-breaking new history of early America, historian Robert Zimmerman not only exposes the lie behind The New York Times 1619 Project that falsely claims slavery is central to the history of the United States, he also provides profound lessons about the nature of human societies, lessons important for Americans today as well as for all future settlers on Mars and elsewhere in space.
Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space, is a riveting page-turning story that documents how slavery slowly became pervasive in the southern British colonies of North America, colonies founded by a people and culture that not only did not allow slavery but in every way were hostile to the practice.
Conscious Choice does more however. In telling the tragic history of the Virginia colony and the rise of slavery there, Zimmerman lays out the proper path for creating healthy societies in places like the Moon and Mars.
“Zimmerman’s ground-breaking history provides every future generation the basic framework for establishing new societies on other worlds. We would be wise to heed what he says.” —Robert Zubrin, founder of founder of the Mars Society.
All editions available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all book vendors. The ebook can be purchased direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit, in which case you don't support the big tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner. Note that the price for the ebook, $3.99, goes up to $5.99 on September 1, 2022.
Autographed printed copies are also available at discount directly from me (hardback $24.95; paperback $14.95). Just email me at zimmerman @ nasw dot org.
hmm no siesmos on mars yet , we should have done that a long time ago , or included something in the rovers , i guess maybe we assumed they wouldn’t find anything interesting? . awesome post Ty!