Tag Archives: eolian processes

Opportunity: Pancam checks Spirit Mound

Posted on September 23, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 4502, September 22, 2016. Above is a Pancam composite showing part of Spirit Mound and one of the small rocky “ridges” leading away from it. Pancam took a fully filtered set of images for the two leftmost frames (false-colored … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Wind streaks on Daedalia Planum

Posted on September 23, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, September 23, 2016. This VIS image shows part of Daedalia Planum as well as several windstreaks. There is a large streak in the bottom half of the frame from a large crater off the image … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Wind-scoured lava flows of Pavonis Mons

Posted on September 23, 2016 by rburnham

This image shows a circular impact crater and an oval volcanic caldera on the southern flank of a large volcano on Mars called Pavonis Mons. The caldera is also the source of numerous finger-like lava flows and at least one … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: River of sand

Posted on September 22, 2016 by rburnham

A dominant driver of surface processes on Mars today is aeolian (wind) activity. In many cases, sediment from this activity is trapped in low-lying areas, such as craters. Aeolian features in the form of dunes and ripples can occur in … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Syrtis Major Planum in false color

Posted on September 14, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, September 14, 2016. Today’s false color image shows part of Syrtis Major Planum, between Nili Patera and Meroe Patera. The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Syrtis Major wind streaks in false color

Posted on September 12, 2016 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, September 9, 2016. Today’s false color image shows part of Syrtis Major Planum, including several wind streaks that show winds are blowing from the northeast (upper right).  The THEMIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from … Continue reading →

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Large aeolian ripples on Mars

Posted on August 1, 2016 by rburnham

Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month, July 30, 2016: Ryan C. Ewing (Texas A&M University).  Ripples cover the surfaces of sand dunes on Earth and Mars. On Earth, ripples formed in typical aeolian sand (e.g., 0.1 and 0.3 mm) range … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: The dune sea of Ganges Chasma

Posted on March 10, 2016 by rburnham

This image is at the eastern edge of a very large deposit of wind-blown dust that occupies Ganges Chasma. This thick deposit surrounds hills and mesas that rise up through it. We can tell from the patterns that the wind … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: The changing sands

Posted on January 28, 2016 by rburnham

As of this date, MRO has been orbiting Mars for nine years. One benefit of MRO’s nearly three completed extended missions is the chance to see landscapes change over time. These barchan sand dunes are a case in point: these … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: ‘Aeolian paradise’

Posted on December 16, 2015 by rburnham

Sol 1196-97, December 16, 2015, update from USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: On Sol 1194 Curiosity drove 47 m around the lee side of “Namib Dune.”  The latest Navcam images reveal many beautiful aeolian features on the slipface and interdune deposits. … Continue reading →

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