THEMIS: Dunes and dust devil tracks in Terra Cimmeria

Dunes and dust devil tracks (THEMIS_IOTD_20190130)THEMIS Image of the Day, January 30, 2019. This unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria has both a sand sheet with dune forms and a multitude of dust devil tracks. The linear and scalloped dark marks are created by dust devils removing surface dust and revealing the darker surface beneath the dust.

It is common for sand to accumulate in the floor of crater. Changes in the wind occur due to the crater shape and possible internal peak or pit features. As the winds are deflected by this type of feature the sand and dust carried by the wind will settle out.

The extensive number of dust devil tracks indicate that surface winds are pervasive in this region.

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