Curiosity Shows a Dune World

The Mars Curiosity rover has been hitting them out of the park lately with one great image after another. The rover has been investigating active sand dunes rippling across the landscapes near Mt. Sharp on the Red Planet. Check out this high-resolution strip image to get an idea of this fantastic landscape and the dunes that lay scattered across this region of Mars.

Check Out Those Dunes!

This dune field is traveling across the Mars landscape, pushed by the action of the wind. On Earth, we know that dunes need a speed of around 17 miles per hour in order to travel. Sand particles travel up the windward side of the dune (that is, the part of the dune that faces toward the direction of the wind). Their motion is called “saltation”. The particles jump around, moving up the dune, as the wind toys with them. Then, once they reach the top, they fall down the other side, and get deposited in smooth hills.   Over time, the dune’s sand particles all move this way. That’s a general look at how a dune inches forward over time.

I’ve watched this happen at Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, and more recently, I watched a similar action near my house. There’s a huge pile of snow, and as the wind blows, snow flakes and snow “balls” (tiny ones), move UP the windward side of the pile, and then deposit themselves on the other side.

Take a good close-up look at this image; click on it to enlarge. You’ll see all kinds of details in these dunes. It’s really impressive, and gives you a chance to explore Mars and its dues as Curiosity sees them!