Orbiter captures Mars avalanches
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A robotic spacecraft circling Mars has snapped the first image of a series of active avalanches near the planet’s north pole, scientists said Monday.
The image, taken last month by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, reveals at least four avalanches of fine ice and dust breaking off from a steep cliff and settling on the slope below. The cascade kicked up massive debris clouds, with some measuring more than 590 feet across.
