Tag Archives: sand ripples

Curiosity update: Kicking up some sand

Posted on July 10, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 1748-52, July 7, 2017, update by MSL scientist Michael Battalio: Curiosity has intentionally scuffed a nearby sand ripple, which has gifted the team with an exceptional view of the interior of these small sand deposits. The majority of the … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Rolling over a ripple

Posted on July 7, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 1748, July 7, 2017.  Curiosity rolled one wheel across a sand ripple, as scientists sought to see what its interior structure might be (above). At right, the views from the front and rear Hazcams. (Click any image to enlarge … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Among megaripples

Posted on May 4, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 1686, May 4, 2017. Curiosity’s drive toward Vera Rubin Ridge is encountering locations where sand has collected into large ripples. Here we see that the rover rolled a foot or two onto a ripple then rolled back, perhaps as … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Edge of Ogunquit Beach

Posted on March 24, 2017 by rburnham

Sol 1646, March 24, 2017. Curiosity drove about 30 meters (100 feet) to the east-northeast. This placed the rover close to the edge of a large sand patch where it can investigate the dune sand and dune ripples at the … Continue reading →

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Mars winds carve mountains, move & raise dust

Posted on February 27, 2017 by rburnham

On Mars, wind rules. Wind has been shaping the Red Planet’s landscapes for billions of years and continues to do so today. Studies using both a NASA orbiter and a rover reveal its effects on scales grand to tiny on … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Star & barchan dunes, Tyrrhena Terra

Posted on November 3, 2016 by rburnham

We monitor the dunes so that you don’t have to. Beautiful Mars series.

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HiRISE: Dark dunes over light-toned mega-ripples

Posted on October 3, 2016 by rburnham

Dark dunes over light-toned mega-ripples. Beautiful Mars series.

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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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Curiosity update: ‘More sand traps’

Posted on May 11, 2015 by rburnham

Sol 983, May 11, 2015, update from USGS scientist Ken Herkenhoff: The Sol 981 drive got the rover around the troublesome ripples and to the desired location, which gave us a good view of the terrain ahead.  Unfortunately, the images … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Sand ripples near bedded outcrops

Posted on April 27, 2015 by rburnham

Sol 967, April 26, 2015. Winds swirling around the thinly bedded outcrops produced a complex sand ripple. Click on the composite image (three Navcam frames) above to open a larger version in a new browser tab. Sol 967 raw images … Continue reading →

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