Like Earth, Mars' surface and atmosphere are filled with dirt and dust. But unlike Earth, Mars dust is 30 times finer, so the landslides that occur there are quite unique. The sighting of a landslide on Mars has been caught on camera.
On Earth, a number of reasons such as rain, volcanic activity, and earthquakes destabilize land slopes causing them to slide downwards. How about on Mars?
During the European space agency ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mission, the Mars rover sent out stunning images that captured a 5-kilometer long Martian landslide.
The image taken by the orbiter on April 13 was shared on Instagram @europeanspaceagency on August 30. The image shows the change in the position of the mountains and the displacement of the Martian soil.
Since the image is taken from above as the Orbiter is hovering in the sky, it may be a bit difficult to understand it compared to the general picture of landslides occurring on Earth. Above it, the Martian dust that settles looks like a fine powder that obscures the sharpness of the mountains
Although the image may look a little confusing, moving ground can still be seen. Citing a caption from an ESA Instagram post, the landslide in the picture occurred in a 35-kilometer wide crater in the Aeolis region of Southeast Mars.
In recent years, rover robots sent to Mars have witnessed landslide events that have led scientists to investigate the mystery of this geomorphological phenomenon on the Red Planet.
While the topic is still being debated, the scientific perspective cites ice and the lack of friction between the Martian soil layers as the main reasons for the landslides. However, Mars is also believed to harbor volcanic activity apart from the occasional Martian earthquake.
