Using remote sensing to track complex sinuous ripple migration on a barchan dune in Herschel Crater, Mars

Abstract

Dunes on Mars are known to migrate, in particular ripples have also been found to migrate. This is known to have occurred in eastern, western and southern Herschel Crater, but it was not known if this was true for Central Herschel Crater. Central Herschel Crater is of particular interest as the dunes found there were deemed indurated. However, since the release of HiRISE (2023) satellite images it is clear that these dunes are in fact very much the opposite. These dunes were actively migrating and presented some unique superimposed ripples. With this, we set out to measure the migration of both the superimposed ripples and the dune itself. The results indicate a ripple migration of between 0.12 m/Earth year and 0.61 m/Earth year, and a dune migration rate of approximately 4.2 m/Earth year. Moreover, the dunes and ripples have been influenced by a predominant wind direction from the north. This new knowledge is important since it provides more information on Mars’ climate, the migration of dunes and ripples on Mars, and how to apply a new method of quantifying ripple migration for an efficient and quick analysis of the large amount of data that HiRISE has to offer for future research. Furthermore, this information can assist further research and decision making for potential future landing sites on Mars.