Sand dunes on Mars are fascinating. They move in a different way than on earth and can become much larger than on our own planet. Various conditions contribute to the gigantic sand dunes and large dune fields that can form on the Red Planet, including its low gravity and atmospheric pressure.
Seasonal changes also affect the Mars sand dunes.
This new image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows seasonal frost that has formed in a crater on a dune field. In autumn and winter, temperatures drop to a point where CO2 ice forms and deposits build up on the sides of the dunes.
MRO has been orbiting Mars since March 2006 and during the 15-year lifespan of this mission, scientists have observed seasonal changes on such dunes. They know that these ice deposits heat up in the Martian spring, causing instabilities and outgassing that can change the shape of the dunes and even create canyons and other features. More information on researching this process can be found here.
A large field of dunes in a crater in the northern hemisphere of Mars. Photo credit: NASA / JPL / University of Arizona
This sand dune field lies in a crater with a diameter of 5 kilometers in the high latitudes of the northern Mars plain. In the larger picture you can see how some of the dunes have separated from the main field and seem to be climbing up the crater slope along a gully-like shape. Other dunes can also be seen outside the crater.
You can explore a larger version of this image and see all of the spectacular images captured by HiRISE on the instrument’s website.
These canyons are located in the dunes of Russell Crater on Mars. This picture was taken in winter and the frozen carbon dioxide on the shady slopes. Photo credit: NASA / JPL / University of Arizona
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