A Hole in Mars

NASA ^ | 2012 July 18

[BenLurkin]

What created this unusual hole in Mars? The hole was discovered by chance on images of the dusty slopes of Mars' Pavonis Mons volcano taken by the HiRISE instrument aboard the robotic Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently circling Mars. The hole appears to be an opening to an underground cavern, partly illuminated on the image right. Analysis of this and follow-up images revealed the opening to be about 35 meters across, while the interior shadow angle indicates that the underlying cavern is roughly 20 meters deep. Why there is a circular crater surrounding this hole remains a topic of speculation, as is the full extent of the underlying cavern. Holes such as this are of particular interest because their interior caves are relatively protected from the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain Martian life. These pits are therefore prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers.

[BenLurkin]

Photo at the link

[mazda77]

Looks like a Florida sink hole to me! Too many martians tapping shallow wells to water their lawns.

[EggsAckley]

An amazing photo! Thanks for posting.

[dragnet2]

[Dogbert41]

[Revolting cat!]

I see even 4 holes!

[Hunton Peck]

Another disaster wrought by fracking!

[Pollster1]

The culprit?

[Hunton Peck]

A-hole in Mars? Is this in addition to the one in the White House?

[BobL]

“A Hole in Mars”

I wish NASA would discuss other A-Hole’s...

[InvisibleChurch]

It looks like the top of a pencil

[UCANSEE2]

[mazda77]

Invaders From Mars (1953)

This movie scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. We lived in base housing at Ft. Ord at the time and the ice plant covered hill behind our home was mostly sand just like the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ury5b-qtI1Y

[UCANSEE2]

Site of the 2000BC Martian Winter Olympics.

[Slings and Arrows]

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[mikrofon]

[Bernard Marx]

It's a subsidence sinkhole of some kind. Something created a cavity beneath it and overburden collapsed into it. It bears an uncanny resemblance to the subsidence holes let after underground nuclear tests at Frenchman's Flat in Nevada:

?

[brivette]

good book, great author.

[conservaterian]

Looks like the home of a giant ant lion.

[null and void]

Good thing it wasn’t the seventh planet, we’d never hear the, um, end of it...

[BenLurkin]

Phssthpok used to be a FReeper handle.

He’s gone now.

[Slings and Arrows]

Oh yeah!

[Slings and Arrows]

Jack Brennan got him.

[GreyFriar]

Mars gets religion ;-)

[kiltie65]

Looks like an asteroid hit the surface exposing a tunnel???

[BenLurkin]

“The holes where the Hee-Chee hid”

[smokingfrog]

[aimhigh]

Looks like Crater Lake in southern Oregon, without water.

[gitmo]

They were supposed to close that thing when they were through.

[dr_lew]

It's a subsidence sinkhole of some kind.

I believe there a number of these holes on Mars, and the caverns are essentially lava tubes. Here, it looks like the date of the initial collapse is recorded by the secondary rim, formed by additional accumulation after the collapse, although I couldn't explain the exact mechanism. I think there is a lot of crusty material on Mars formed from compacted windblown dust.

[PAR35]

Yes, you can see the door. Just luck that they snapped the picture while it was open.

[Bernard Marx]

Yes, a lava tube is a logical cause in this case. The shape simply reminded me of nuclear test sinkholes. The fact that the Mars hole still opens to a cavern is interesting though. It suggests there wasn’t enough surface material in the initial collapse to fill the space beneath it, so if it’s a lava tube it’s a big one!

[CodeToad]

[BenLurkin]

[Talisker]

What movie? I loved it as a kid, can’t remember the name.

[BenLurkin]

“First Men in the Moon” (1864)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO9XjCM6tB8

[BenLurkin]

1964!

not 1864...neither of us is that old...

[zot]

Thanks for the ping. It is a sinkhole, where the ceiling of a cavern collapsed. But what created the cavern?

[gitmo]

Ahhh, it’s probably the kids. I can’t get mine to shut the door after themselves for anything.