Frost-Covered Dunes in a Crater
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Frost-Covered Dunes in a Crater
ESP_016087_2595  Science Theme: Seasonal Processes
Dunes are often found on crater floors. In the winter time at high northern latitudes the terrain is covered by carbon dioxide ice (dry ice). In the spring as this seasonal ice evaporates many unusual features unique to Mars are visible.

On the floor of this crater where there are no dunes, the ice forms an uninterrupted layer. On the dunes however, dark streaks form as surface material from below the ice is mobilized and deposited on top of the ice. In some cases this mobile material probably slides down the steep face of the dune, while in other cases it may be literally blown out in a process of gas release similar to removing a cork from a champagne bottle.

Written by: Candy Hansen  (13 January 2010)
 
Acquisition date
01 January 2010

Local Mars time
13:50

Latitude (centered)
79.150°

Longitude (East)
60.777°

Spacecraft altitude
315.5 km (196.1 miles)

Original image scale range
31.6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~95 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel

Map projection
Polarstereographic

Emission angle
1.0°

Phase angle
66.9°

Solar incidence angle
68°, with the Sun about 22° above the horizon

Solar longitude
31.6°, Northern Spring

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  105°
Sub-solar azimuth:  313.2°
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
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Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

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All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.