A Martian Dust Avalanche
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
A Martian Dust Avalanche
ESP_067900_1935  Science Theme: Mass Wasting Processes
Relatively dark slope streaks are common on steep dust-mantled slopes of Mars. When imaged under high sun illumination they appear to be just a dark stain without topographic relief.

However, when imaged with the sun low in the sky (and at high resolution), we can clearly see the topographic signature. Surface material has been removed from the upper slopes and deposited in lobes, as expected from landslides (also called “mass movements”).

Written by: Alfred McEwen (narration: Tre Gibbs)  (14 June 2021)
 
Acquisition date
20 January 2021

Local Mars time
14:41

Latitude (centered)
13.200°

Longitude (East)
23.378°

Spacecraft altitude
275.2 km (171.0 miles)

Original image scale range
27.7 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~83 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
6.6°

Phase angle
37.3°

Solar incidence angle
44°, with the Sun about 46° above the horizon

Solar longitude
350.7°, Northern Winter

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  344.9°
JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (1308MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (634MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (638MB)
non-map           (727MB)

IRB color
map projected  (301MB)
non-map           (595MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (357MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (342MB)

RGB color
non map           (539MB)
BONUS
4K (TIFF)
8K (TIFF)
10K (TIFF)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
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.