PIA04170: Amazonis Yardangs
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows yardangs, a typical ridge pattern formed by wind erosion, in southern Amazonis on Mars.
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) 
 Spacecraft:  Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter
 Instrument:  Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) 
 Product Size:  836 x 4389 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1195  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA04170.tif (3.673 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA04170.jpg (673.2 kB)  

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Original Caption Released with Image:

26 August 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows yardangs -- a typical ridge pattern formed by wind erosion -- in southern Amazonis. Some time after the wind erosion occurred, conditions changed and, instead of erosion, the region experienced deposition by a relatively thin, uniform coating of dust. It is this coating of dust that gives the region a monotone appearance. Dark streaks occurring on slopes are formed by avalanching of the dry dust.

Location near: 10.1°N, 156.9°W
Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: lower left
Season: Northern Autumn

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2005-08-26