Ice and Dust avalanche captured on Mars by NASA’s Reconnaissance Orbiter

It seems that there is no end to the discovery's we are making on Planet Mars... On May 2, 2021, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an avalanche plunging down a 1,640 foot tall cliff!!!

Here is a further description:

"NASA’s Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted Ice and Dust avalanche on Mars using HiRISE camera. HiRISE was designed to be a high resolution camera from the beginning. It consists of a large mirror, as well as a large CCD camera. Because of this, it achieves a resolution of 1 microradian, or 0.3 meter at a height of 300 km.

Every spring the sun shines on the side of the stack of layers at the North Pole of Mars known as the north polar layered deposits. The warmth destabilizes the ice and blocks break loose. When they reach the bottom of the more than 500 meter tall cliff face, the blocks kick up a cloud of dust. The layers beneath are different colors and textures depending on the amount of dust mixed with ice."

Credit: nasa.gov, NASA/JPL-Caltech, NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

I hope you enjoy this new piece of information about Planet Mars!
Kerry
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