Scientists are tracking the movement of dust over Martian eons using a high-resolution camera from orbit.
A Twitter account of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s high-resolution experiment, which has been operating on Mars since 2006, recently posted a photo of “barchan dunes” formed by winds on the Red Planet that are constantly pushing in one direction.
“Now who doesn’t like the image of dunes in 3D,” the tweet said (opening in a new section) along with the photo. “Pay attention to the sandy” thread “on the right side of the image. I wonder how this may have formed. “
Related: The sand dunes of Mars move in a strange way
While the mission’s experts provided little detail with the image, scientists have been exploring the Nile Patera region for many years in an attempt to understand how the dunes evolve over time. A 2012 study, for example, showed remarkably fast movements in 105 days, during which some dunes traveled up to 15 feet (4.5 meters).
Barchan’s dunes are forming as the wind slowly moves sand grains up the slope of the dunes, creating small ripples on the slope, NASA announced in 2019.
“When the grains of sand arrive at the top, they fall down a steeper and shorter slope, resulting in no waves,” the agency said in a statement (opening in a new section) at the time. “It’s the gradual movement of the sand that makes the dunes move slowly over time.”
HiRISE 3D: Dunes in Nili Patera Now, who doesn’t like the image of dunes in 3D? Notice the sandy “thread” on the right side of the image. I wonder how this may have formed! pic.twitter.com/mgMc03jOZh May 25, 2022
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Scientists are interested in sand dunes because they show areas with constant surface changes, rather than the same material being soaked in ultraviolet or gamma radiation that could erase Martian biosignatures. It is believed that these regions may be fruitful in the continued search for Martian life.
Nili Patera is also known for its unique lava flows of basalt and dacite; Dacite is quite rare on the Red Planet, suggesting a “volcanically complex” history in the region, according to the website of Arizona State University for another long-standing NASA spacecraft mission called Mars Odyssey.
Nili Patera is part of the caldera at the top (collapsed volcanic area) of Sirtis Major, from which these strange lavas emanate. The floor is about 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) lower than the western edge, according to Arizona State University.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and Facebook.
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