This newly released image from HiRISE shows sand dunes in the Southern hemisphere of Mars.
Sand dunes are scattered across Mars and one of the larger populations exists in the Southern hemisphere, just west of the Hellas impact basin. The Hellespontus region features numerous collections of dark, dune formations that collect both within depressions such as craters, and among “extra-crater” plains areas.
This image displays the middle portion of a large dune field composed primarily of crescent-shaped “barchan” dunes. Here, the steep, sunlit side of the dune, called a slip face, indicates the down-wind side of the dune and the direction of its migration. Other long, narrow linear dunes known as “seif” dunes are also here and in other locales to the east.
NB: “Seif” comes from the Arabic word meaning “sword.”
The map is projected here at a scale of 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 25.5 centimeters (10 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning); objects on the order of 77 centimeters (30.3 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.
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1 Comment
Obviously a migration of sand worms on Dune! :O