Mars: Dune Diversity in Renaudot Crater | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Mars: Dune Diversity in Renaudot Crater | NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Renaudot is a 64-kilometer diameter impact crater located on the border of Utopia and Terra Sabaea on planet Mars. Along its walls are evidence of old glaciers. The crater floor contains a variety of dunes that range in size, shape, and composition. This image is presented in enhanced color for improved contrast to observe fine details. The crater was named after Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877-1962). She was a French astronomer. Gabrielle worked at the observatory at Juvisy-sur-Orge, France, and was General Secretary of the Société Astronomique de France. She published works on the changing surface features of Mars, the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, and observations of other planets, minor planets and variable stars.

Dark and light-toned dunes are located on the floor of Renaudot crater. The dark-toned dunes are likely basaltic sand, while the light-toned dunes source from other materials. The floor underlying the dunes is an eroded lighter-toned surface consisting of rougher, angular blocky material or cracked, cemented surface materials.

It is likely that the sources for these dunes are outside of the crater and sediment was blown in by prevailing winds. Windward-facing dune slopes tend to have lower slopes, while those pointing in the downwind direction are steeper. This suggests that the windward direction for the basaltic and larger light-toned dunes is generally towards the south, although there are smaller sets of differently aligned dunes suggesting varying wind directions.

This HiRISE image was captured when NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) was at an altitude of 297 km (184 mi).

The MRO is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, to provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and to relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, and reached Mars on March 10, 2006. 

The University of Arizona, in Tucson, operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). It was built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), Washington.

For more information on MRO, visit:

science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Image Date: October 15, 2024
Release Date: July 8, 2025

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