Aeolian Playground in Smith Crater
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Aeolian Playground in Smith Crater
PSP_006284_1145  Science Theme: Aeolian Processes
This image shows a dark dune field in Smith Crater. The dark color of the dunes indicates that they are probably made of basaltic sand, a dark volcanic rock that is common on Mars. This is in contrast to dunes on Earth, which are dominated by quartz, a rare mineral on Mars.

The dunes here are “transverse dunes” that, based on analogy with similar features on Earth, form by winds that blow in a direction perpendicular to the crests. However, Secondary ripples on top of the dunes are oriented at right angles; that indicates a second wind regime that has redistributed the sand after the original dunes formed. The multiple orientations of the dunes may be partly caused by their location within the crater, whose own topography can act to redistribute regional wind patterns.

The dark streaks on the lighter terrain outside of the dune field are interpreted as dust devil tracks, where mini-tornadoes reveal darker ground beneath the bright dust of the surface. Some long dust devil tracks are visible in the southern part of the dune field and climb onto the troughs of the transverse dunes. There are also a few faded tracks at the northern part of the dune field.



Written by: Circe Verba, Nathan Bridges  (16 April 2008)
 
Acquisition date
29 November 2007

Local Mars time
14:44

Latitude (centered)
-65.495°

Longitude (East)
257.457°

Spacecraft altitude
250.4 km (155.6 miles)

Original image scale range
50.1 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~150 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
50 cm/pixel

Map projection
Polarstereographic

Emission angle
0.2°

Phase angle
69.8°

Solar incidence angle
70°, with the Sun about 20° above the horizon

Solar longitude
354.7°, Northern Winter

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  98°
Sub-solar azimuth:  53.2°
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   (369MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (172MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (245MB)
non-map           (237MB)

IRB color
map projected  (97MB)
non-map           (177MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (336MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (324MB)

RGB color
non map           (173MB)
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.