ripples
December 11, 2012
A piece of Mars: Small dunes or ripples in a depression provide a striking contrast with the surrounding bedrock. The sand in the dunes changes color, too, to mark off which regions have more recently been actively moved by the […]
December 6, 2012
A piece of Mars: A lonely dune slowly makes its way (towards the upper right) across a plain. Well, look closer, it’s not all that lonely. Surrounding it on the plain are smaller streaks that are ripples, which also once […]
November 20, 2012
A piece of Mars: Some places on Mars highlight just how effective the wind is at sculpting the surface. This is a good example. Dark and light stripes on the right show not one but two successive influxes of sand: […]
November 12, 2012
A Piece of Mars: A large dune (on the right, bluish) rests on a surface covered in much smaller dunes or ripples (on the left, cream). This is part of my favorite dune field on Mars. Can you spot the […]
November 1, 2012
A piece of Mars: When the wind blows sand up against obstacles like this bright little hill, the sand is swept around to the sides. This leaves a wind shadow in the wake of the hill. It’s one of the […]
October 4, 2012
A piece of Mars: Steep slopes in some parts of Mars are prone to very thin landslides that leave behind dark tracks. The landslides may be triggered by the wind or nearby impacts. They always move downslope — in this […]
September 19, 2012
A piece of Mars: Impact craters are typically round circles, so when you see one that isn’t, it’s usually because something has changed its shape into something less perfectly round. These craters are squooshed on the lower right side, as […]
September 9, 2012
A piece of Gale crater, Mars: Here’s a view of a small piece of Mt. Sharp, both from Curiosity (on the right) and from orbit (on the left, HiRISE ESP_028269_1755). A broad valley visible from the rover is revealed to […]
August 11, 2012
A piece of Gale crater, Mars (Aug 11, 2012): This is a tiny portion of the ancient river channel that Curiosity will use to climb up Mt. Sharp in the coming year. It’s a fascinating place, full of pale fractured […]