Maybe that was where they pulled the plug out and drained the oceans..........
Posted on 09/02/2011 2:41:48 PM PDT by Red Badger
Aug. 30, 2011 -- On the slopes of the vast Martian shield volcano Pavonis Mons, a rather odd-looking crater resides. Originally spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Context Camera (CTX) earlier this year, mission managers decided to zoom in on the suspect feature using the awesome power of the MRO's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. Indeed, as HiRISE has confirmed, this is one very odd-looking crater.
From a distance, the crater appeared to have a black spot in its center, looking almost like the bulls eye on a dartboard. But on closer scrutiny the spot turned out to be the collapsed roof of an underground cavern. Similar features have been seen on Mars and the moon before and are commonly referred to as "skylights." However, this skylight is unique in that it formed at the base of a larger crater.
This Pavonis Mons skylight is approximately 35 meters (115 feet) in diameter, and by using the shadow on the cavern's floor as a guide, HiRISE scientists have estimated that the feature is around 20 meters (65 feet) deep, according to the mission's website.
Skylights often form in volcanic regions where ancient lava flows created subsurface lava tubes. When these lava tubes are evacuated, and tube sides hardened by solidified lava, caverns may form. Should the roofs of these caverns collapse, skylights may form.
These features are often eyed as potential candidates for future manned missions to Mars and the moon as they provide access to naturally-occurring sub-surface caves that astronauts could use as shelter for permanent habitats.
The skylight shown here will likely keep scientists guessing for some time as to how it formed at the base of a crater. Is the crater an ancient impact feature that breached the roof of an underlying cavern? Or is it simply an erosion feature where surface material has slumped and drained into the skylight?
Obviously piquing the interesting of HiRISE scientists, the feature will be revisited during an orbital pass later this year so a second high-resolution photo can be snapped. Combining both photos will create a stereo image, hopefully unraveling what caused this strange feature.
Maybe that was where they pulled the plug out and drained the oceans..........
In related news Bawney Fwank has turned his attention from Uranus to Mars...
Underground nuclear testing ? For when they invade earth because of global warming
Very interesting. Looks like the holes where there are lava tubes on mars but that isn’t a lava tube.
Personally, I think we’re wasting our time on the surface. The Martian underground is where the real discoveries await.
Plus, the Underground bound to have better music
So the sand worm can get out
Reminds me of the hole (trap) constructed by ant lions in the dusty soil. Maybe we have neighbors?? ;-)
The light appears to come from the upper right to the lower left of the image.
In the enlarged image the lack of a lava flow shape, and the conical shape of the dark center are consistent with this being a cinder cone from a basaltic type of rock.
The near perfectly circular shape of the outer crater lip is consistent with a very high angle ( almost 90 degrees ) of impact.
Thus, assuming all these observations are correct, it is possible that the dark colored cinder/rebound cone has been formed by ejection of rocks very deep below the impact crater.
All of this is in my humble, but ALWAYS correct opinion.
“Personally, I think we’re wasting our time on the surface. The Martian underground is where the real discoveries await.”
Maybe the Chinese will share some of their discoveries when they go there using the money they’ve made off of us.
And we can assume our place as a second world observer.
It leads to the UFO base.
Just looks kinda like a giant bubble in the lava rock and the center top fell in, maybe...
Double, double toil and trouble...Fire burn and cauldron bubble...
Because it’s there?
I’m not sure what it is, but the only safe thing to do is nuke it from space.
George Bush nuked Mars!
Reminds me of the rock in mecca that Satan runs
Does Venus have a hole?
Not guilty.
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