The Splitting of the Dunes
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
The Splitting of the Dunes
ESP_012897_1685  Science Theme: Impact Processes
The mound in the center of this image appears to have blocked the path of the dunes as they marched south (north is to the left in this image) across the scene. Many of these transverse dunes have slipfaces that face south, although in some cases, it’s hard to tell for certain. Smaller dunes run perpendicular to some of the larger-scale dunes, probably indicating a shift in wind directions in this area.

Although it might be hard to tell, this group of dunes is very near the central pit of a 35-kilometer-wide impact crater. Data from other instruments indicate the presence of clay-like materials in the rock exposed in the central pit.

Written by: Nicole Baugh  (27 March 2017)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_013319_1685.
 
Acquisition date
27 April 2009

Local Mars time
15:16

Latitude (centered)
-11.602°

Longitude (East)
51.929°

Spacecraft altitude
256.7 km (159.5 miles)

Original image scale range
52.0 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~156 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
50 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
6.4°

Phase angle
41.9°

Solar incidence angle
48°, with the Sun about 42° above the horizon

Solar longitude
254.8°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  343.9°
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ANAGLYPHS
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4K (TIFF)
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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HiView

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IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
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Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
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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.