Science and Exploration

Southern Spring On Kaiser Crater Dunes On Mars

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
February 15, 2022
Filed under ,
Southern Spring On Kaiser Crater Dunes On Mars
Kaiser Crater
NASA/HiRISE

The sand dunes in Kaiser Crater are partially covered with seasonal carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) in this image.
The dunes are made of dark sand, showing through where the dry ice has sublimated (turned to gas) in the spring sun.

The fine scale structure of the ripples on the dunes shows up highlighted by the presence or absence of the ice, and the low angle of the sun on the slope.

Written by: Candy Hansen (narration: Tre Gibbs) (14 February 2022)
Larger images

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.