A mighty wind
Oh, gravity, the things you can do
October 4, 2012Wind shadow, wind shadow
November 1, 2012
A piece of Mars: I just adore that the wind can do this to a landscape. Over a long period of time, two different winds have scratched deep grooves in a rocky surface. Wind-carved rocks like this are called “yardangs”. We have them in some deserts on Earth, too, but I’ve never seen two overlapping directions like this on Earth. Why are they more prominent on Mars? Mars has no oceans, no rivers, no beaches, no snowfall and no rain to change the surface, so the wind plays a stronger role in shaping the landscape. (HiRISE ESP_028200_1810)
