More Anomalies On Mars

http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/7_30_98_devil_rel/26403sub_tracks.gif

This is the latest image on the Mars site.

The picture above describes these unusual lines as dust devils.

Just like the ones we sometimes see here on our beautiful planet.

NASA QUOTES

They form when the ground heats up during the day, warming the air immediately above the surface. As pockets of warm air rise and interfere with one another, they create horizontal pressure variations that, combined with other meteorological winds, cause the upward moving air to spin (the direction of the spin is controlled by the same Coriolis forces that cause terrestrial hurricanes to spin in specific directions). As the spinning column of air moves across the surface, it occasionally encounters dust on the surface, which it can suck upward. This dust rises into the spinning air, giving the appearance of a tornado-like column that moves across the landscape. As the column of air moves, its ability to pick up dust varies--sometimes they hold a lot of dust and are nearly opaque; sometimes you cannot even see them. Dust-devils rarely last long, since their very motion changes the conditions that allowed them to form in the first place.

.In this caption we can see the lines. They are rather dark, but it is hard to say just how deep the impression is.

Try to compare the color of other impressions in the ground to get an idea.

Just a bit closer in detail. You can see how the terrain is laid out on its path.

Now in this image you can see the large holes on the route of the dust devil.

In this picture you can get a better idea of the kind of path that has been made.

In my opinion the lines are very long.

I do find it rather odd that the path goes for such a long stretch.

I have seen dust devils and they only last a short time.

But ... We are on Mars and perhaps the conditions are more conducive.

Page Updated: - Friday - July 31, 1998 - 12:41:00am

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