Discoveries
1. Rover Landing Site Chosen
Scientists landed the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity on Meridiani Planum because data from THEMIS and TES showed signs of water in its rocks and surface materials.
2. Gas jets spawn dark 'spiders' and spots on Mars icecap
Scientists use THEMIS data to find the cause of dark markings that appear every spring on Mars' south polar cap.
3. Water ice confirmed at Mars' south polar cap
THEMIS images have provided the first direct observations of exposed water ice at the southern polar cap of Mars.
4. Melting snow carved gullies
Water from melting snow eroded many of the geologically recent gullies on Mars — and snowpacks still linger on many poleward-facing slopes in the middle latitudes.
5. Aram Chaos was once a lake
An impact crater on Mars has a floor filled with huge blocks of chaotic terrain. THEMIS found the crater contains a thick stack of sediments deposited underwater.
6. Granite-like rocks discovered
Rocks that resemble granite, a crystalline rock common on Earth, have been found for the first time on Mars using THEMIS images.
7. Olivine-rich rocks point to cold, dry martian past
In Syrtis Major, THEMIS mapped the largest known exposure of olivine-rich rocks on Mars. Because olivine decomposes easily when wet, its survival from ancient times suggests Mars has been cold and dry for much of its history.
8. Evolved lavas at Syrtis Major
At Syrtis Major, THEMIS found volcanos and flows of dacite, a chemically evolved lava that implies a complex volcanic history for Mars.
9. Mars has complex volcanic processes
On Mars, the diversity of volcanic rocks — and the complexity of volcanic processes — rivals that of Earth.
10. Mars has more channels than previously thought
THEMIS images reveal the martian surface has more channels than scientists previously thought. The finding hints that erosion by water was more widespread, but may have been episodic.
11. Source of Mars meteorites found?
A young Martian crater named Zunil may be the source for some meteorites that have come from Mars.
12. Mars makes rocks — lots of them
THEMIS infrared images indicate most of the planet is producing rocks about as fast as erosion is destroying or burying them.
13. Mars has large expanses of exposed bedrock
THEMIS results show winds have scoured many areas of Martian bedrock clear of sedimentary debris.
14. THEMIS Finds a Landing Site for Phoenix
Fields of giant boulders threatened to destroy the Phoenix Mars lander on touchdown until THEMIS found landing sites that were relatively boulder-free.
