A new kind of sand dunes on Mars

[Judi Lynn]

A new kind of sand dunes on Mars
In 2015 the Curiosity rover discovered a kind of wind-rippled sand dune never seen before on Mars or here on Earth.




Namib Dune, Gale Crater, Mars.
NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS


This view of the surface of a sand dune on Mars shows two different sizes of ripples created by wind. Sand dunes, like the small ripples seen here, are familiar sights on Earth. The bigger ripples are around 3 meters apart and have not been seen before, on Earth or on Mars. The larger ripples have distinctive sinuous crest lines.

The picture is a composite created from multiple images taken by the mast camera on NASA’s Curiosity rover on December 13 2015, or the rover’s 1192nd Martian day at work. The images were taken in the early morning on Namib Dune, in the Bagnold Dune Field, which forms a dark band along the northwestern side of Mount Sharp.


https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/a-new-kind-of-sand-dunes-on-mars

(Short article, no more at link.)

[longship]

1. Mind the sandworms!

Almost forgot.



R&K

[yallerdawg]

2. Don't forget the Martian rats!

[MuseRider]

3. Made me think of that video

someone (was it you?) posted a week ago about a pufferfish. Beautiful.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/122821981

[Judi Lynn]

4. Enchanting! It's so hard to believe. Doesn't seem possible a wee fish could do this.

Thank you for the reminder and link to that great thread.

It's something one doesn't want to forget.

I noticed that after the thread was posted, the video was removed. Here's one for anyone who didn't see the little puffer fish hard at work:

[center]

[MuseRider]

5. Thanks for reposting that.

As someone who spent every year going from Kansas to some location to scuba dive I was stunned by this. I obviously had enormous admiration of all sea life but these incredible behaviors that I did not know about just make it so obvious how important it is for all of us to protect them. I am afraid it is far too late but maybe...we must keep trying. We have bluegill in our pond who make little sand, or mud homes in our large pond. Waiting for the ladies to show up and find their nest the best. I can see them from my little boat but they are NOTHING like this.

So way off topic but............

[flying rabbit]

6. Wow

Thanks for reposting that. Amazing!