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geology

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mars porn

The Frozen Waterfalls of Mars

This deep gorge known as the Echus Chasma was ripped into the Martian soil by gushing water, and scientists speculate that it may once have boasted giant, 4000-meter-high waterfalls. This image, by the European Space Agency's Mars Express satellite, was released this week along with a few others. We've got an even more gorgeous one for you below. More »

11:25 AM on Wed Jul 16 2008
By Annalee Newitz
3,184 views, 27 comments

Latest by CMG: @Calraigh: exactly more »

Mad Martian Geology

Biggest Crater in the Solar System Found on Mars

For a small planet, Mars sure knows how to go big. It's about half as large as Earth, but it's got the hugest volcano in the solar system in the Arizona-sized Olympus Mons and the grandest of all canyons in the 7 kilometer-deep Vallis Marineris. Now it can add its coolest, most-braggable title: the Biggest Impact Crater in the Solar System. In a new study out in Nature, scientists have shown that Mars was probably hit by an asteroid the size of the Moon sometime in its early history, which left a crater the size of the planet's entire northern hemisphere. More »

9:41 AM on Thu Jun 26 2008
By Michael Reilly
2,116 views, 15 comments

Latest by RAHfanboy: @Michael Reilly: "@Dunny0: good question: what should we call huge-ginormous craters?" "Huge-ginormous craters" works for me. Although I'm also good with little, big, really big, fucking huge, etc. for size oriented adjectives. @Hectorvex: "It's only a matter of time before more »

extreme living

Life Deep Beneath the Ocean Floor Bodes Well for Aliens

This is a new low, even for life on Earth — geologists have found bacteria living 1.6 kilometers beneath the ocean floor, twice as deep as ever recorded before. The simple bugs (one cell pictured, at the end of the arrow) are related to the ones found at deep sea hydrothermal vents, but they represent a stunning new discovery in that they open up the possibility that as much as 2/3 of all the biomass on Earth could be buried beneath its surface. It also strengthens the possibility that life on other planets could be hiding out, just waiting to be found. More »

5:12 PM on Sat May 24 2008
By Michael Reilly
2,195 views, 17 comments

Latest by twophrasebark: ...it just sounds super exciting to me! more »

mega geology

Earth Angry, Sends Sarlaccs to Eat Humanity in Giant Texas Sinkhole

It was only a matter of time. After drilling Mother Earth and exploiting her oil resources for centuries, the planet is retaliating. A sinkhole 260 feet deep and 900 feet long has opened up in Daisetta Texas, swallowing Telephone poles, tractors, and oil drilling equipment. The hole was still growing as of Thursday, threatening to consume a main highway nearby as geologists struggled to figure out the reasons behind its mysterious formation. More »

1:00 PM on Fri May 9 2008
By Michael Reilly
2,722 views, 26 comments

martian geology

Martian Ice Ages Bolster Case for Life on Red Planet

Just ten million years ago (a geological eyeblink), Mars could've had an ice age. Even cooler, it may have been one of several, meaning the planet underwent freeze/thaw periods much like those here on Earth. And that means — you guessed it — the chances for liquid water and life on the Red Planet just went way up. Cooler still, those glaciers likely had liquid water near their base, and seeping into the rocks below. A new study in the journal Geology based on images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has found compelling evidence that sheets of ice between 1 and 2.5 kilometers thick grew near the Martian equator some time in the recent past. More »

9:45 AM on Fri Apr 25 2008
By Michael Reilly
814 views, 9 comments

Latest by RAHfanboy: @Sihanouk-s-Poodle: I wish this would be a real question in our lifetimes but I doubt it. I would say yes, though, that any attempt to use any of the planets or moons for the benefit of mankind will more »

mission to mars

Looking for Life on Mars with the Next Generation Rover

Definitely one of the coolest symposia at AAAS was the one this afternoon devoted to the Martian rovers — past, present, and future. On the panel were NASA's Richard Cook, who helped design Spirit and Opportunity as well as the next Martian rover; Steven Squyres, a Cornell geologist who has been working with Spirit and Opportunity to get as many geological samples as he can while the rovers survive; and Andrew Knoll, a Harvard planetologist who has studied the evidence for Martian water extensively (including whether it could support life as we know it). I've got highlights from the panel below, plus a giant gallery of pictures of a life-sized model of the new rover, the Mars Science Lab Rover (MSL), which will be blasting off late next year and landing on the red planet in 2010. More »

5:45 PM on Fri Feb 15 2008
By Annalee Newitz
1,467 views, 9 comments

Latest by Pouncer: Spirit and Opportunity are complete and total champions. The actual duration of their activity on Mars, compared to the planned mission timeline, is proof of that. And applying lessons learned to a next-generation rover? This is going to be so more »