Another weird Mars pic YAY!

I usually wouldn't start a Mars anomaly thread as there are many
already, but this one is baffling scientists everywhere! (j/k).

Anyway, what gets me is how clean the bottom of the 'crater' is.
Weird.


article source

image source

... although, now that I'm reviewing it, I suppose the interior layer
could have settled afterward. Still cool imo.

Those dang Swiss beat us to the red planet!!

There is probably a bunch of Martian banks with dirty money all over the place...
And if the money is not dirty, it's at least dusty..



-Chris

originally posted by: Christosterone
Those dang Swiss beat us to the red planet!!

There is probably a bunch of Martian banks with dirty money all over the place...
And if the money is not dirty, it's at least dusty..

-Chris

Wow! I haven't seen that Mars pic yet!


Edit to add: my bad. those are just rocks.

a reply to: shlaw


How do we know that's a Mars photo? Does anyone have a link to the panorama?

A new image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows several shallow pits among carbon dioxide ice, nicknamed "Swiss cheese terrain" because it looks a bit like the famous cheese.

But at upper right is a deeper pit that goes through the ice and dust, which NASA says could be an impact crater or some sort of collapse pit

space.com - Mars Crater or Collapse? A Photo Mystery in Martian 'Swiss Cheese'.

Dry ice ice?! That is pretty cool in and of itself. (RE: upper right) Looks like impact or least a debris field but I guess it can come from below as well. Like a soda pop can.

Pretty, shiny!

That sure does look like ice/snow.

and there was me getting all excited thinking it was going to be a rock!

originally posted by: windword
a reply to: shlaw


How do we know that's a Mars photo?

Fine question sir.

I added the article link which I believe has the NASA link.

Craters usually have a ridge where the ejected material flies up and out then resettles. They also have ratios between the diameter/radius and depth. If the ejected material had been a mix of water and sand/mud/soil/dust, then it would form flow gullies into the crater, and the base of the crater would be formed from fine silt.

originally posted by: stormcell
Craters usually have a ridge where the ejected material flies up and out then resettles. They also have ratios between the diameter/radius and depth. If the ejected material had been a mix of water and sand/mud/soil/dust, then it would form flow gullies into the crater, and the base of the crater would be formed from fine silt.

All fair points.


I do a bit of woodworking; it looks like a hole that I've predrilled and countersunk.

originally posted by: PokeyJoe
That sure does look like ice/snow.

It's near Mars' southern polar ice cap, so should be of no surprise that it would be ice/snow. Most of it would be frozen carbon dioxide, but some of it could include water-ice.

CO2 ice, layering, over many years compresses and forms the shapes we see?

originally posted by: and14263
CO2 ice, layering, over many years compresses and forms the shapes we see?

I'm sure you're correct; for me it's just the oddness of the crater.

originally posted by: shlaw

Anyway, what gets me is how clean the bottom of the 'crater' is.

To me, it looks as if the bottom of the crater has some fine silt (the darker brown color) partially covered with a piece of ice (maybe CO2 ice).

Very interesting photo!

Will follow to check in later if someone has got to a conclusion.

truly an headscratcher
my theory is that an asteroid made an crater exactly on the place of an lava tube

a reply to: shlaw

Great image. I don't know if I'm right but that's the explanation given in Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars... Or similar explanation.

a reply to: shlaw
This picture caught my eye to as the crater looks too perfect.

One of the weirdest I have seen 👀

Could it be the white stuff is ejected from the hole?

originally posted by: druid1
a reply to: shlaw
This picture caught my eye to as the crater looks too perfect.

One of the weirdest I have seen 👀

Could it be the white stuff is ejected from the hole?

In the article it states that the swiss cheese area is frozen
carbon dioxide and water. I think the confusion is that at
first glance the interior of the crater appears to be a
continuation of it. I think it might be a 'new' layer laid
down though. Or at least that would be the simplest
explanation.

It does look mighty perfect for an impact crater though.
Perhaps the meteorite was very small and hit straight
down, then the thin martian wind blew the ejecta up
and to the right as seen in the pic?

Don't know myself. I'm an armchair scientist (and my
chair doesn't have arms).

Cheers.

It looks to me that the 'bottom of the pit' may have a further depression at north with its own lip going deeper.