aeolian
October 11, 2013
A piece of Mars: This is what the relentless work of the wind can do. That vaguely circular structure in the center of the image is probably the remains of a ~150 m diameter impact crater. Since it formed, it’s […]
September 4, 2013
A piece of Mars: In the center are two dark dunes, racing one another to jump over hurdles formed of older, now inactive dunes (or maybe those bright things are ripples, we still don’t know for sure). The dune in […]
August 29, 2013
A piece of Mars: These C and S-shaped things were once dunes that marched across the scene (from upper left to lower right), formed from sand deposited by the wind. Then that sand somehow became cemented, locking the dunes in […]
August 8, 2013
A piece of Mars: Creamy dunes (or maybe they’re very large ripples) wind their way northward between mesas. More recently darker, more mobile sand (bluish here) has piled up against the western slopes of the mesas. We don’t know why […]
July 8, 2013
A piece of Mars: The blue structures are rippled dunes found not far from the south polar cap of Mars. They are probably partially active, enough to create the fine ripples found on and between the dunes. But the steeper […]
July 3, 2013
A piece of Mars: Topography makes for great landscapes. It also funnels winds, forcing dunes and ripples along particular pathways. Here a cliff (high ground is yellow) has forced low-lying, dark ripples to migrate up a slope at the end […]
June 17, 2013
A piece of Mars: In the lower left of the image, a small hill stands above a plain partly covered by stabilized ripples. Boulders have rolled down the hill as it slowly erodes. If these ripples aren’t ever activated by […]
May 21, 2013
A piece of Mars: Swirly loops form on the martian surface as dust devils pass by, cleaning up dust on the surface and revealing the dark, rippled dune beneath. Every year the swirls get cleaned off and reform — such […]
May 2, 2013
A piece of Mars. The dark circle (~170 m across) in the middle of the picture is the interior of what used to be a crater. It’s now almost completely eroded away, probably by the wind. Small dunes have formed […]