Crater Dust Avalanches (Released 10 June 2005)

Dust avalanches, also called slope streaks, occur on many Martian terrains. The deposition of airborne dust on surfaces causes a bright tone in the THEMIS VIS images. Any movement of the dust downhill, a dust avalanche, will leave behind a streak where the darker, dust-free surface is exposed.<p>This region of dust avalanches is located in and around a crater to the west of <a href=/zoom-20050610a.html&quot;>yesterday's image.</a>