Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Windy Mars: A dynamic planet as seen by the HiRISE camera

January 1, 2007

With a dynamic atmosphere and a large supply of particulate material, the surface of Mars is heavily influenced by wind-driven, or aeolian, processes. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provides a new view of Martian geology, with the ability to see decimeter-size features. Current sand movement, and evidence for recent bedform development, is observed. Dunes and ripples generally exhibit complex surfaces down to the limits of resolution. Yardangs have diverse textures, with some being massive at HiRISE scale, others having horizontal and cross-cutting layers of variable character, and some exhibiting blocky and polygonal morphologies. "Reticulate" (fine polygonal texture) bedforms are ubiquitus in the thick mantle at the highest elevations.

Publication Year 2007
Title Windy Mars: A dynamic planet as seen by the HiRISE camera
DOI 10.1029/2007GL031445
Authors Nathan T. Bridges, Paul E. Geissler, Alfred S. McEwen, B.J. Thomson, Frank C. Chuang, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Sara Martinez-Alonso
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Geophysical Research Letters
Index ID 70031674
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Astrogeology Science Center