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> Mars: Spring view of Dunes

Mars: Spring view of Dunes

author: NASA/JPL/Univ. of Arizona/Novapix

reference: a-mar11-00038

Image Size 300 DPI: 21 * 16 cm

Falling Material Kicks Up Cloud of Dust on Dunes. There is a vast region of sand dunes at high northern latitudes on Mars. In the winter, a layer of carbon dioxide ice covers the dunes, and in the spring as the sun warms the ice it evaporates. This is a very active process, and sand dislodged from the crests of the dunes cascades down, forming dark streaks. In thid image falling material has kicked up a small cloud of dust. The color of the ice surrounding adjacent streaks of material suggests that dust has settled on the ice at the bottom after similar events. Also discernible in this subimage are polygonal cracks in the ice on the dunes (the cracks disappear when the ice is gone). Image taken on 07 April 2008 by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft.

Keywords for this photo:

2008 - 2010 - ACT010310 - ASTRONOMY - CARBON DIOXIDE - CLIMATE - DUNE - FROST - GEOLOGY - HIRISE - MARS - MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER - MRO - PLANET - SPRING -