Dunes and Inverted Craters in Arabia Terra
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Dunes and Inverted Craters in Arabia Terra
ESP_016459_1830  Science Theme: Aeolian Processes
This image shows dark sand dunes and inverted craters in the Arabia Terra region of Mars.

The sand is dark because it was probably derived from basalt, a black volcanic rock that is common on Mars. Unlike traditional craters that are depressions, those here stick up above the surrounding plains. Such “inverted topography” is found on Mars and Earth where erosion has stripped away surrounding topography.

In this case, the craters were filled with sediment. Subsequent erosion stripped away the terrain around the filled craters, leaving the inverted topography visible here. The enlarged color view shows one of the inverted craters surrounded by the dark dunes.

Written by: Nathan Bridges  (3 March 2010)
 
Acquisition date
29 January 2010

Local Mars time
14:55

Latitude (centered)
3.120°

Longitude (East)
4.553°

Spacecraft altitude
271.7 km (168.8 miles)

Original image scale range
27.2 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~82 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
2.7°

Phase angle
42.9°

Solar incidence angle
45°, with the Sun about 45° above the horizon

Solar longitude
44.7°, Northern Spring

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  27.9°
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   (1069MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (481MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (500MB)
non-map           (605MB)

IRB color
map projected  (181MB)
non-map           (440MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (284MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (275MB)

RGB color
non map           (458MB)
BONUS
4K (TIFF)
8K (TIFF)
10K (TIFF)
HiClip mini 4K (MP4)

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.