Crater ejecta, volcanic dust and wind lanes in Arcadia Planitia
Crater ejecta, volcanic dust and wind lanes in Arcadia Planitia
In Arcadia Planitia the wind has left its mark on the landscape, which at first glance appears a monotonous surface. In the foreground, the largest part of the scene at approximately 40 kilometres wide, is occupied by an area in which the wind has sanded yardangs out of the rock. These yardangs and ridges reveal the prevailing wind direction at the time of their formation. Dark volcanic sands were deposited against a ridge that acted as an obstacle to the wind. In the upper left quadrant, lobe-shaped deposits belonging to a crater ejecta blanket indicate highly volatile-rich material in the subsurface at the time of an asteroid impact. The rim of the resulting crater is visible at the upper edge of the image.