HiRISE images

A piece of Mars: Is it the latest in patterns for ties, or is it Mars? (Can it be both?) These are some unusually regular dunes on Mars, separated by a bouldered surface. The dunes have interesting pale bands common in this region on Mars, as well as an unending supply of long, parallel ripples. (HiRISE ESP_025108_1370) read more ❯

A piece of Mars: Old, subdued dunes (in blue) near the south pole on Mars. This shows the edge of a dune field, with white rock-strewn surface beyond the sand. Criss-crossing the sand are the tracks that dust devils have left behind. I wonder if these whirlwinds are the main reason why the dunes are slowly eroding to a flat surface. (HiRISE PSP_005980_1085) read more ❯

A piece of Mars: This is what dunes look like when they die. At least on Mars. On Earth they typically get buried or eroded away. On Mars geology works slowly enough that the steep slopes of dunes are gradually reworked and pitted, and covered in fine layers of bright dust. (HiRISE PSP_005980_1085) read more ❯

A piece of Mars: Many small craters on Mars are filled, at least in part, by small dunes or ripples. It's one of the distinguishing features of Mars -- a surface marked by geology both old (craters) and young (dunes). This particular crater isn't so old -- boulders surrounding it were made from rocks flung from the impact when it formed, and they are usually one of the first things to erode away as a crater ages. (HiRISE ESP_026726_1790) read more ❯

A piece of Mars: In the dustier regions of Mars, there are many small dark streaks on steep slopes that we don't understand well. Because we don't know much about them we call them "slope streaks", which is not the most imaginative name. They are actively forming on Mars today, though, and seem to be triggered by a disturbance like a nearby earth(mars)quake or a strong wind. Over the next several decades they slowly fade away. (HiRISE ESP_014394_2045) read more ❯

A piece of Mars: Blueish and yellowish ripples wind their way around a bright hill. The yellowish ones are probably not moving anymore, but the blueish ones are likely still active from time to time. (HiRISE ESP_020889_1320) read more ❯

A piece of Mars: When the wind erodes layered rocks, it can create a dramatic swirly pattern like this. It looks like ribbon ice cream to me. Mmm, rocks. (HiRISE ESP_011582_1730) read more ❯

A piece of Mars: In nature most dunes pile on one another or strongly influence each other. But occasionally, like a perfect flower or crystal, you find a perfectly shaped dune. Here is a crescentic dune, called a "barchan", formed by winds moving from right to left. (HiRISE PSP_007676_1385, NASA/JPL/Univ. of Arizona) read more ❯

A piece of Mars: The dunes can be so beautiful on Mars. What a lovely vacation spot this would be, provided you brought a large supply of oxygen, food, and a heat source to keep you warm. (HiRISE ESP_026416_1620) read more ❯

A piece of Mars: This is what dunes look like in the deepest part of Mars, where the air is full of bright dust that constantly settles out onto everything. The wind helps to clear off the sand dunes (blue in this image) in two ways: one is by dust devils that leave crooked tracks like drunk vacuum cleaners, and the other is by sand avalanches down steep dune slip faces (HiRISE ESP_025278_1345). read more ❯