Windstreaks

This VIS image shows a region of plains to the west of Alba Mons. Numerous windstreaks are visible. The bright material forming "tails" behind the craters were created by surface winds funneled over and around the crater. The raised rims and bowls of impact craters causes a complex interaction such that the wind vortex in the lee of the crater can both scour away the surface dust and deposit it back in the center of the lee. The "tail" shows the direction of the wind, in this case blowing from the lower right to the upper left or from southeast to northwest. Also visible in this image are lava flows from Alba Mons and linear graben.