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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • Mars
  • aeolian geology
  • HiRISE

Index Terms

  • Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Surface materials and properties
  • Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Erosion and weathering
  • Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Remote sensing

Abstract

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

N. T. Bridges

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

P. E. Geissler

U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

A. S. McEwen

Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA

B. J. Thomson

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

F. C. Chuang

Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, USA

K. E. Herkenhoff

U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

L. P. Keszthelyi

U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

S. Martínez-Alonso

Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA

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 ubiquitous in the thick mantle at the highest elevations.

Received 7 August 2007; accepted 23 October 2007; published 15 December 2007.

Citation: Bridges, N. T., P. E. Geissler, A. S. McEwen, B. J. Thomson, F. C. Chuang, K. E. Herkenhoff, L. P. Keszthelyi, and S. Martínez-Alonso (2007), Windy Mars: A dynamic planet as seen by the HiRISE camera, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L23205, doi:10.1029/2007GL031445.

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