Tag Archives: sand dunes

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 →

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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 →

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New terrestrial analog for martian megaripple dunes

Posted on November 20, 2018 by rburnham

A new paper [published in Icarus] by M. Foroutan (U. Waterloo, Canada) and co-authors describes the first terrestrial dark sand dunes similar to a type of mysterious dune found on Mars.  These megaripples, found surrounding the remote volcanic caldera Wau-an-Namus, … Continue reading →

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THEMIS: Big dunes and little ones in Russell Crater

Posted on November 14, 2018 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 14, 2018. This VIS image shows part of the floor of Russell Crater, including sand dunes of mulitple sizes. Russell Crater is located in Noachis Terra. Do small dunes merge to become big ones? … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Dune field in a crater near Iaxartes Tholus

Posted on November 13, 2018 by rburnham

A dune field in a crater near Iaxartes Tholus. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: Dunes dubbed Furya

Posted on November 6, 2018 by rburnham

Dunes dubbed Furya. Of course, these were dubbed by the suggester of the image, who clearly is a fan of “The Chronicles of Riddick.” Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: North flank of Ceti Mensa

Posted on November 2, 2018 by rburnham

The north flank of Ceti Mensa. There is some possible soft-sediment deformation in this area. The region has attracted attention because its deep red color in images collected by the Viking Orbiter mission during the 1970s. Beautiful Mars series. [More … Continue reading →

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Seeing Mars in a grain of sand

Posted on October 24, 2018 by rburnham

[Ed. note: The following is a guide to two recent special issues of the Journal of Geophysical Research; both collect papers reporting on studies of the Bagnold Dunes in Gale Crater. The guide complements the MSL report posted earlier here.] … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Colorful impact

Posted on October 17, 2018 by rburnham

Some regions of Mars are not very colorful, but we can be surprised by local features. This image of an impact crater in the south Syrtis Major region was acquired as a “ride-along” with a CRISM observation, which targeted this … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Summit dunes and their sand sources

Posted on October 9, 2018 by rburnham

The ultimate origin of the sediment that forms Martian dunes has long been debated. While sand dunes on Earth are primarily sourced by quartz-bearing components of granitic continental crust, it’s often suggested that sand on Mars derives from eroded volcanic … Continue reading →

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