Wind Erosion in Lucus Planum

Today's VIS image shows a region of wind etched materials in Lucus Planum. In regions of poorly cemented surface materials it is possible to create large features due to just the action of the wind. The equatorial region between Olympus Mons and Apollinaris Mons is dominated by wind etched regions. The direction of the wind aligns with the ridges and valleys. Two dominant wind directions have shaped this region of Lucus Planum, one is southeast/northwest winds; and the other is the complete opposite - southwest/northeast. The horse-shoe shaped features near the bottom of the image are called blowouts. Blowouts are common features found in beach dunes and in glacial loess deposits in the american midwest.