A
dark streak colors the northern slope of an unnamed crater in Arabia Terra on
Mars, as seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
Slope
streaks result from the down-slope movement of dry, fine-grained dust, not
unlike avalanches on Earth. This image shows a dark streak that has split
around a knob jutting out from the crater wall, before flowing back together
down-slope. Scientists speculate that such darker slope streaks are younger
than lighter slope streaks.
Geological
similarities abound between Mars and Earth, allowing scientists to use
Earth as a model for figuring out climate and geological systems on the Red
Planet. Orbiters such as MRO have continued to capture images
of avalanches and other Martian processes that reinforce this idea.
— NASA/JPL/University of Arizona and SPACE.com
Staff
Credit: NASA/JPL/University
of Arizona
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