Planet Four Talk

Multilayered blotches?

  • SiriusMan by SiriusMan

    Is this type of multicolored spots related to multilayered structure of the ice?

    Posted

  • mschwamb by mschwamb scientist, translator in response to SiriusMan's comment.

    All of the dark blotches and fans are at the surface of the ice sheet, so the multi-layering of the ice, if there is any wouldn't have an impact here. It could potentially be that the material is from different eruptions of the geyser, so that there was a earlier episode uplifting material further away and then another eruption that contributed material more towards the center. It might also be that the particles of dust and dirt slowly sink back down into the ice, and get fainter, so the outer regions might be older darker inner part newer.

    Cheers,

    ~Meg

    Posted

  • wassock by wassock moderator

    There;s something going on here - the HiRise RGB image http://hirise-pds.lpl.arizona.edu/PDS/EXTRAS/RDR/PSP/ORB_002800_002899/PSP_002899_1100/PSP_002899_1100_RGB.NOMAP.browse.jpg shows these coloured blotches to lie in what appaers to be a valley.toward the bottom of the strip. the pink blotches have a darker lozenge/oval center and the axis of the center blotch in every one has the same (ish) alignment. There are also smaller dark blotches overlying the pink ones. Pic to follow

    Posted

  • wassock by wassock moderator

    Pic as promised. To me it is strilkng how the dark centers all share pretty much the same alignment. The nearbye images on hirise are all labelled with variations of "Jeans crater, Dune field"

    enter image description here

    Posted

  • mschwamb by mschwamb scientist, translator in response to wassock's comment.

    That's what I would expect if wind is involved, so if there's a little involved it might shape all the blotches along the wind direction rather than perpendicular to the wind.

    Cheers,
    ~Meg

    Posted

  • wassock by wassock moderator

    but they don't look like wind features Meg, more like a drop of ink on blotting paper

    Posted

  • mschwamb by mschwamb scientist, translator in response to wassock's comment.

    True. In the image you posted, I could see if there was a slight wind sculpting the oval (so that the blotches are aligned as you noted) but still producing the blotch. I'm really interested to see how the fans and blotch measurements correspond to global climate model wind directions.

    Cheers,

    ~Meg

    Posted

  • Kitharode by Kitharode moderator in response to wassock's comment.

    Well done SiriusMan for a good find.

    Wassock: Your observations are really interesting. I'd missed them completely, but you're right. The mention of 'valley' and the blotch alignment interests me, so I'm going back to 'Inca City' to check that out again. Plenty of 'valleys' with blotches in there. I'll report back if anything crops up.

    Good thread. 😃

    Posted