Dark Gray Dunes, Bright Orange Dust

This THEMIS VIS image shows the striking contrast between large, dark dunes and the surrounding surface. These dunes are at the southernmost edge of the Russell Crater dune field, located in the heavily cratered terrain of the southern highlands. Dust devil tracks off the eastern edge of the dune field reveal that the bright orange surface is material that can be stripped away, exposing an underlying darker surface. The gray surface to the west of the dunefield may be either a thin sand sheet or a surface preferentially stripped of the bright orange material, possibly revealing the same underlying surface that is exposed in the dust devil tracks. Bright orange areas between the dunes probably highlight areas that are protected from the wind, allowing dust to accumulate into bright orange patches.
Initial image processing and calibration by THEMIS team members J. Bell, T. McConnochie, and D. Savransky at Cornell University; additional processing and final color balance by space artist Don Davis.