An image captured by Europe’s Mars Express orbiter has revealed the striking effects of powerful winds on the Martian surface, showing how airborne sand has sculpted large sections of the landscape over time.
The image, taken by the spacecraft’s High Resolution Stereo Camera, spans an area almost the size of Belgium and shows elongated ridges carved into sedimentary rock near a relatively fresh impact crater. The European Space Agency said the features were formed as Martian winds acted like “giant sandblasters,” eroding softer rock layers while leaving harder material intact.
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The resulting formations, known as yardangs, all lean in the same direction, allowing scientists to determine the prevailing wind patterns in the region. Beyond wind activity, the image also highlights an impact crater and a less obvious geological feature called platy flow.
Platy flow forms when lava develops a solid crust on top while molten material continues to move underneath, breaking the surface into shifting plates similar to ice floes on Earth. In the image, the platy flow lies beneath and alongside the yardangs, suggesting it formed earlier and that the wind-shaped ridges developed more recently.
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Scientists say observations like this help build a clearer picture of how Mars has evolved and how wind, lava and impacts have interacted over time, knowledge that could prove important for future robotic and human missions to the Red Planet.
Source: ESA