The Dark Dunes of Mars

By Nancy Atkinson - November 1, 2010 at 8:49 AM UTC | Planetary Science
dark-dunes.jpg

I just got lost on Mars. I saw this intriguing image, above, on the

HiRISE camera website,

and ended up spending a large chunk of my morning just wandering through the dunes of Mars -- actually wandering through images of dunes on Mars. These striking features have to be one of the most intriguing areas of study on the Red Planet since they are one of the most dynamic geologic processes going on currently on Mars.

The dark dunes are composed of basaltic sand, and scientists believe the dunes in the image above have formed in response to fall and winter westerly winds. Also superimposed on their surface are smaller secondary dunes that are commonly seen on terrestrial dunes of this size.

See below for more intriguing dunes on Mars that I came across in my wanderings...

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North Polar Dunes. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

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Chocolate dunes? Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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Dunes and Layered Bedrock on Floor of Large Crater in Xanthe Terra. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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Seasonal Frost on Dunes. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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Dune Symmetry. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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Martian Barchan Dunes. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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Falling Material Kicks Up Cloud of Dust on Dunes. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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We've posted this image before, as it really is a weird-looking landscape, but it is worth seeing again.

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Polar Sand Dunes. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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See more on the

HiRISE website!

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com