11 June 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a field of low-albedo (dark) barchan sand dunes in a crater located in western Arabia Terra. Small dunes like these are common in the craters of western Arabia Terra and they are often the source of finer, dark sediment that forms windstreaks further downwind. The steepest slopes on the dunes, their
slipfaces
, are pointed toward the southeast (lower right), indicating that the dominant winds in this location come from the opposite direction.
Location near
: 6.4°N, 346.2°W
Image width
: ~3 km (~1.9 mi
Illumination from
: lower left
Season
: Northern Autumn
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Mars | |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) | |
Instrument Host | Mars Global Surveyor | |
Host Type | Orbiter | |
Instrument | Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Crater, Dune, Grayscale | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2005-06-11 | |
Date in Caption | 2005-06-11 | |
Image Credit | NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03944 | |
Identifier | PIA03944 |