HiRISE | Dunes in Herschel Crater (PSP_002728

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Dunes in Herschel Crater
PSP_002728_1645 Science Theme: Aeolian Processes

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This image shows dunes on the floor of Herschel Crater. The steep faces ("slipfaces") are oriented downwind, in the direction of motion of the dunes. One feature of particular interest is the dune-free area downwind of the crater at the image center. Some sand has been trapped in the crater, but the crater prevents the dunes from migrating directly downwind.

Sand dunes form naturally as a result of the transport of sand by the wind. The dunes in this image are somewhat crescent-shaped, but are being extended and distorted downwind and merging with nearby dunes; this complex behavior is common in dune fields on Earth.

In the southern part of the image the sand lies in sheets rather than well-defined dunes. At high resolution, the dune surfaces are covered in small ripples and scallops, also shaped by the wind.

Written by: Colin Dundas (6 October 2010)

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Acquisition date:	25 February 2007	Local Mars time:	3:45 PM
Latitude (centered):	-15.107 degrees	Longitude (East):	131.897 degrees
Range to target site:	258.6 km (161.6 miles)	Original image scale range:	25.9 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~78 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale:	25 cm/pixel and North is up	Map projection:	EQUIRECTANGULAR
Emission angle:	0.2 degrees	Phase angle:	56.5 degrees
Solar incidence angle:	56 degrees, with the Sun about 34 degrees above the horizon	Solar longitude:	189.9 degrees, Northern Autumn
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North azimuth:	97 degrees	Sub-solar azimuth:	10.4 degrees
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North azimuth:	270 degrees	Sub solar azimuth:	185.0 degrees

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For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov. 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. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. The image data were processed using the U.S. Geological Survey’s ISIS3 software.