HiRISE | Frost Avalanches on Steep Scarps (ESP_025010

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Frost Avalanches on Steep Scarps
ESP_025010_2650 Science Theme: Climate Change

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This image was originally acquired in 2011 in order to monitor for frost avalanches that occurred the year prior.

HiRISE often re-images certain areas to track changes over time. In this case, we wanted to photograph the scarp near the onset of the Martian springtime, to get a better understanding of the frequency of these frost avalanches, what triggers them and any role they have in the evolution of the scarp's formation.

While HiRISE has captured other frost avalanches before, they never cease to amaze since it demonstrates that there are indeed active processes on the Red Planet.

This caption is based on the original science rationale.

Written by: HiRISE Science Team (6 February 2013)

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Acquisition date:	27 November 2011	Local Mars time:	12:33 PM
Latitude (centered):	84.995 degrees	Longitude (East):	151.528 degrees
Range to target site:	320.4 km (200.2 miles)	Original image scale range:	32.1 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~96 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale:	25 cm/pixel	Map projection:	POLAR STEREOGRAPHIC
Emission angle:	0.5 degrees	Phase angle:	71.1 degrees
Solar incidence angle:	71 degrees, with the Sun about 19 degrees above the horizon	Solar longitude:	35.4 degrees, Northern Spring
For non-map projected products:
North azimuth:	123 degrees	Sub-solar azimuth:	309.9 degrees
For map-projected products
North azimuth:	118.4 degrees	Sub solar azimuth:	307.1 degrees

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All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible: Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. The image data were processed using the U.S. Geological Survey’s ISIS3 software.