GeologyRocks

That's pretty neat. I've always liked space but never really enjoyed the advanced physics, math, and other icky stuff they would have made me take!

Heh, that was actually one of the reasons I made the switch from astrophysics to planetary science---not nearly as much calculus! While I did really well in all my astronomy classes, I was quite rubbish in all my physics classes except for quantum mechanics, optics, and electromagnetism...

Welcome to GR!

so your doing only the 'easy' maths/physics

Whats martian astronomy?

Those were two separate interests, "martian glaciology" and "astronomy." Sorry.

If you're doing Martian glaciology does that mean that there is definately certainly water on Mars gathered together in large quantities?

I'd heard theories (and seen evidence) that there may be frozen groundwater which melts on occasion but didn't know there were glaciers.

Yes, there is a lot of water on Mars in the form of ice. The northern polar cap is composed of water ice, and that is my main area of research. Here is an AMAZING picture of the ice layers in the northern polar cap from MRO:

http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/PSP/PSP_001334_2645/color.html

We have also recently discovered ice in crater floors, and have seen evidence of current groundwater existing in the subsurface:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/news/mgs-20061206.html

So, it's a very exciting time to be studing Mars!

I was looking at the pictures, on the NASA site, with the new ice thing. it says on there that a dry sand slip would not be able to cause the reflection. But on the picture there is a rim of brightness at top of cliff.
Could the ice flow be light reflecting at a different angle? I couldn't see if there was any other data apart from the pictures.

And the quetsion i think we all want to know - is there any evidence of elvis?

Hello! Welcome to GR. Your research project sounds great! My PhD was on computer modelling of carbonate sediments.

Right now I don't think we have any data other than the MGS images of the site. They are hypothesizing it to be water because of the location (admist gullies) and the fluid-like appearance it has in its travel down the slope. I assume now that they know about this feature they will put it as a high priority target for the new CRISM spectrometer on MRO to see if it can be identified (and ruled out as a sand or salt flow).

I've only looked at the north polar in great detail...so if Elvis is there, he's not at the north polar cap.

Ok, shame about elvis though...

Elvis works down my chip shop!