Rabe Crater Dunes

Scaled Image

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/ASU

About this image

Today's VIS image shows part of the floor of Rabe Crater, including the large dune field. Located in Noachis Terra, Rabe Crater is 108 km (67 miles) across. As the dunes are created by wind action the forms of the dunes record the wind direction. Dunes will have a long low angle component and a short high angle side. The steep side is called the slip face. The wind blows up the long side of the dune. In this part of the crater the winds were generally moving from the lower right corner of the image towards the upper left.

Craters of similar size as Rabe Crater often have flat floors. Rabe Crater has some areas of flat floor, but also has a large complex pit occupying a substantial part of the floor. The interior fill of the crater is thought to be layered sediments created by wind and or water action. The pit is eroded into this material. The eroded materials appear to have stayed within the crater forming a large sand sheet with surface dune forms as well as individual dunes where the crater floor is visible. Several other craters in this region have complex floors with pits.

Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. 

Context

Image ID: 
V93332004 (View data in Mars Image Explorer)
-43.7011
34.9216
93332
2022-12-29 05:34
Mon, 2023-03-27
VIS
256 pixels (17 km)
3792 pixels (259 km)
0.068432 km/pixel
0.0691173 km/pixel

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