science

Nili Fossae

Nili Fossae is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nili Fossae rather than just read about it. In short: Nili Fossae is a group of large, concentric grabens on Mars, in the Syrtis Major quadrangle. They have been eroded and partly filled in by sediments and clay-rich ejecta from a nearby giant impact crater, the Isidis basin.

Key takeaways

Nili Fossae belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nili Fossae to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nili Fossae from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nili Fossae is a group of large, concentric grabens on Mars, in the Syrtis Major quadrangle. They have been eroded and partly filled in by sediments and clay-rich ejecta from a nearby giant impact crater, the Isidis basin. It is at approximately 22°N, 75°E, and has an elevation of −0.6 km (−0.37 mi). A large exposure of olivine is in Nili Fossae. In December 2008, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter found that rocks at Nili Fossae contain carbonate minerals, a geologically significant discovery. Other minerals found by MRO are aluminum smectite, iron/magnesium smecite, hydrated silica, kaolinite group minerals, and iron oxides. NASA scientists discovered that Nili Fossae is the source of plumes of methane, raising the question of whether this source originates from biological sources. Researchers in July 2010 suggested that carbonate bearing rocks found in the Nili Fossae region of Mars are made up of hydrothermally altered ultramafic rocks. Consequently, hydrothermal activity would have provided sufficient energy for biological activity. Evidence of living organisms could have been preserved. Nili Fossae trough is thought to have resulted from the impact that formed the nearby Isidis basin. Nili Fossae was on the list of potential landing sites of the Mars Science Laboratory, arriving in 2012, but was dropped before the final four sites were determined. Although not among the last finalists, in September 2015 it was selected as a potential landing site for the Mars 2020 rover, which will use the same design as Curiosity, but with a different payload focused on astrobiology. Nili Fossae is also considered ideal for future human exploration, with the prominent Gavin Crater at 21.43°N, 76.93°E considered the most likely landing zone in Nili Fossae.

Nili Fossae Trough was one of seven finalists for the MSL landing site:

Eberswalde Crater Gale Crater Holden Crater Mawrth Vallis Miyamoto Crater Nili Fossae Trough Southern Meridiani

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nili Fossae

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nili Fossae claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nili Fossae before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nili Fossae ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nili Fossae

In research: Nili Fossae appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nili Fossae in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nili Fossae is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Mars 2020, Syrtis Major quadrangle, Valleys and canyons on Mars, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nili Fossae outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nili Fossae in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nili Fossae means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nili Fossae out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nili Fossae in simple terms?

Why does Nili Fossae matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nili Fossae?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nili Fossae.