By NASA
July 27, 2022
This HiRISE image shows a variety of wind-related functions near the center of Gamboa Crater. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Mars may be the Red Planet, however false-color images like this one can assist us find out about its weather and geology. This High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) image shows a range of wind-related features on Mars near the center of Gamboa Crater, an impact crater that lies at the transition from Chryse Planitia to Acidalia Planitia. Larger dune form private domes and sinuous crests.
There are small ripples on the tops of the dunes that are just several feet from crest to crest. These combine into larger mega-ripples that have to do with 30 feet apart and radiate outward from the dunes. The bigger, brighter formations that are approximately parallel are understood as “Transverse Aeolian Ridges” (TAR). These TAR are covered with extremely coarse sand.
All of these different functions can suggest which method the wind was blowing when they formed. Being able to study such variety so close together permits us to see their relationships and compare and contrast functions to analyze what they are made of and how they formed.