Tag Archives: basaltic sand

THEMIS: Basaltic sands in Marth Crater

Posted on February 21, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, February 21, 2019. This false color image shows part of the floor of Marth Crater. Dark blue tones typically indicate basaltic sands. Wind action is blowing the sand and dust to the southern side of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

THEMIS: Pasteur Crater in false color

Posted on February 20, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, February 20, 2019. Today’s image shows part of the floor of Pasteur Crater. The deposit in the southwest part of the floor is a fill deposit that is undergoing erosion. Small sand dunes are found … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

THEMIS: Herschel Crater floor in false color

Posted on February 19, 2019 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, February 19, 2019. This VIS image shows part of the floor of Herschel Crater. Sand dunes are visible at the bottom of the image. The dark blue in this false color image typically indicates basaltic … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

THEMIS: Sand sheet in Halley Crater

Posted on December 24, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, December 24, 2018. This VIS image shows part of the dune field on the floor of Halley Crater. Rather than small individual sand dunes, the sand here is collected into a sand sheet and dune … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

THEMIS: Active dune field in Noachis

Posted on December 13, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, December 13, 2018. Today’s VIS image shows sand dunes on the floor of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. These dunes are likely active because they are dark, indicating that they move often enough to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

THEMIS: Halley Crater dunes

Posted on December 6, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, December 6, 2018. Halley Crater is located on the western side of Argyre Planitia. Sand dunes cover part of the crater floor. The dunes’ dark tone indicates they are free from dust. This in turn … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

HiRISE: Active dunes in Wirtz Crater

Posted on November 29, 2018 by rburnham

These gorgeous dunes are likely active, with ripples on their upwind slopes and dark streaks on their downwind slopes forming and changing due to wind-driven sand motion. This motion will also keep the dune brink (the edge between the two … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

THEMIS: Active dunes in Noachis Terra

Posted on November 28, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 28, 2018. Today’s VIS image shows a sand sheet with surface dunes forms on the floor of an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. Dark dunes indicate active dunes: Winds stir the sand, which kicks … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

THEMIS: Dunes in Kaiser Crater

Posted on November 23, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 23, 2018. This VIS image shows part of the floor of Kaiser Crater, including several sand dunes. Kaiser Crater is located in Noachis Terra. The dunes’ dark tone indicates they are free of dust, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Volcanic ash: Major source of Mars dust?

Posted on October 23, 2018 by rburnham

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Charlie Bristow and Torsten Moller, recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.] Dust Production by Abrasion of Eolian Basalt Sands: Analogue for Martian Dust • Collisions between particles and surfaces during eolian abrasion … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , | Comments Off