This image shows a steep, layered slope and flatter, dune-covered plains in Mars’ north polar region. The layers are composed of varying contents of water ice and dust.

On Earth, icy layers like these in Greenland and Antarctica are important because they contain a record of past climate conditions. By looking at the detailed sequence of polar layers on Mars, scientists hope to be able to discover the types of variations that Mars’ climate may have experienced. The lowest section in the stack of light layers is noticeably darker because of the presence of dark, sandy material. Erosion of this dark material is thought to provide the sand making up the large dunes on the plains.

Several exceptionally well-developed barchan (crescent-shaped) dune forms up to approximately 50 meters (160 feet) across are present in the center of the image.


Written by: Patrick Russell

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: Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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.