Photo: "Ballistic" Sand May Explain Shifting Martian Dunes

Email to a Friend << Back to Full Story


Sand ripples stretch across the Martian plain of Meridiani Planum, as imaged by the Opportunity rover.

A controversial new study suggests a chain reaction of spraying dust, and not wind, is the primary way sand dunes shift on Mars today.

Image by National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, courtesy National Academy of Sciences, PNAS (Copyright 2008)

MOST VIEWED NEWS

PICTURES: 2012 Doomsday Myths Debunked

2012: Six End-of-the-World Myths Debunked

APOCALYPSE PICTURES: 10 Failed Doomsday Prophecies
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

ADVERTISEMENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's National Geographic Photo of the Day

• Today's Photo

• Download as Wallpaper

50 Drives of a Lifetime

National Geographic Traveler has scoured the globe for the world's most beautiful, interesting, and off-beat road trips. Dive in to get drive directions, quizzes, photos, and more.