Nov 27,
2006
Dendritic Ridges—Eye of
the Beholder
Some of our readers have
reported difficulty in seeing the dendritic ridges of the
Olympus Mons caldera and steep escarpment. Here, we offer a
few suggestions that should permit the ridge network to leap
out at the viewer.
On November 22nd we presented an ESA (European
Space Agency) close-up image of the flank of Olympus Mons.
The image reveals sharply cut dendritic ridges running down
the flank in a pattern that has defied geologic explanation.
The tree-like form of the branching is pointed downward like
an embossment on the escarpment.
Then, on November 24th, we offered a remarkably
similar image of dendritic branching on the wall of the
Olympus Mons “caldera.” Here, too, no useful scientific
explanation has been forthcoming. In both instances, the
electric model anticipates the form as fulgurite-like
hardened or glassy branches of a Lichtenberg figure, typical
of electric discharge.
Not everyone visiting our site, however, has detected the
ridges, despite the fact that once they are seen, they stand
out in stark relief as the dominating forms in the imaged
topography. Understandably, this has created an issue in the
minds of some as to whether the ridges are really there. And
the answer is, yes, they are undeniably there. Moreover, the
trick of the eye that can prevent one from seeing them is an
excellent example of how conditioned mental references can
obscure perception.
Because the image above shows the dendritic ridges of the
Olympus Mons scarp from a side view, the number of
“automatic brain references” that must be overcome is
reduced, making it easier to see the ridges as ridges. To
facilitate this process further, we have placed arrows
pointing to several of the more prominent ridges. The lone
arrow on the right ends precisely at a dominating ridge that
exhibits a series of clearly visible branches. On the left,
we see bifurcating ridges, the first bifurcation beginning
at the summit of the cliff. The remaining two arrows point
to ridges associated with further bifurcation, the lowest
arrow pointing to a ridge that bifurcates once more just
below the arrow. Clearly, these ridges protrude from the
escarpment, separating them (the ridges) into their brightly
illuminated and shadowy components.
We have found that for many individuals, there is no issue
here at all. They see the ridges immediately as ridges, and
are puzzled that some folks only see ravines. But the
problem of perception is actually quite common when people
are viewing either ridges or craters, channels, or other
depressions on the Moon or Mars. It will appear as if they
are raised prominences. To know whether you are susceptible
to this trick of the eye, consider this
picture. If the
channel networks in this image appear to you to be raised
relief, your eye is deceiving you, and you are not alone. A
large percentage of viewers experience this illusion.
As for the dendritic ridges on Mars, we have found the
following steps to be a reliable means of getting the brain
to cooperate: 1) Look without distraction at the point
denoted by the highest arrow on the left. 2) Ask yourself
what you will see if the arrow is pointing to the “summit”
of a ridge running down the escarpment. 3) Remind yourself
that the light is coming from the right, illuminating one
side of the ridge complex. Even if it takes your brain a
minute or two to cooperate, the experiences of others give
us confidence that you will see the ridge complex as clearly
as they have. You can then test out this procedure with the
images presented in our two previous pictures of the day—here
and
here—a good exercise because both of these pictures
involve vantage points that more easily suggest the wrong
references.
Dendritic ridges will emerge as a crucial consideration in
any analysis of an electric model. The best tests of a new
model are those in which its interpretations are most easily
distinguished from prior theoretical models. To the best of
our knowledge, there is no meaningful interpretation of
dendritic ridge formations in any “erosional” context. In
fact, we can identify no known geologic process that would
give a consistently dendritic pattern in any context.
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