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Sandblasting on Mars

Written by  Wednesday, 07 January 2026 09:00
Mars Express sees sandblasted wind sculptures near Eumenides Dorsum

Martian winds can have quite an impact. ESA’s Mars Express has spotted them whipping up sand grains and acting as a cosmic sandblaster, carving out intriguing grooves near Mars’s equator.

Map of northern Eumenides Dorsum in context
Map of northern Eumenides Dorsum in context

In the main image, which covers a patch of ground almost the size of Belgium, the yardangs all slant in the same direction due to the prevailing wind, curving in from the bottom left (south-east). They sit at the northern end of the Eumenides Dorsum mountains, which have been seen before by Mars Express; these mountains extend far out of frame to the west (top) of an especially volcanic region known as Tharsis, and form part of the huge, immensely dusty Medusae Fossae Formation (another familiar feature).

Where features meet

This image also captures two other fascinating forces of nature we see on the Red Planet, with all three coming together to meet just left (south) of the large crater to the right.

First is the crater itself, which looks reasonably fresh and is surrounded by a large, wavy-edged blanket of material (‘ejecta’) that was thrown out during the impact that created it.


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