ESA’s Mars Express has spotted the aftermath of martian winds whipping up sand grains and acting as a cosmic sandblaster, carving out long channels with intermittent ridges – known as yardangs – near Mars’s equator. This patch of ground sits at the northern end of the Eumenides Dorsum mountains; these mountains extend far out of frame to the west of the volcanic region of Tharsis, and form part of Medusae Fossae Formation.
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Notes: This image comprises data gathered by Mars Express’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on 16 October 2024 (orbit 26245). It was created using data from the nadir channel, the field of view aligned perpendicular to the surface of Mars, and the colour channels of the HRSC. North is to the right. The ground resolution of the original image is approximately 20 m/pixel and the image is centred at about 12°N/200°E. The dark patch in the crater rim is likely a patch of volcanic sand.
[Image description: A satellite view of a section of Mars’s surface. The terrain is mostly smooth and sandy-coloured, with a large circular impact crater on the right side. The crater has a raised rim and a flat centre. To the left, there is a broad area of darker, rough-textured streaks spreading diagonally, contrasting with the lighter surrounding surface. The overall colour palette is shades of tan and reddish-brown, typical of Martian soil.]