Strange mounds and ripples near the Hooke Crater area on the southern highlands of the Red Planet are formed by dust devils.
The unusual images were sent back from Exo Mars, the orbital spacecraft of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos (the Spanish Space Agency) currently operating around Mars. They depict a chaotic terrain with fragmented faults, featuring clusters of disordered shapes, conical mounds, mountain ranges, and flat-topped hills…
Panorama of the land containing “devilish traces” on the Red Planet – (Image: ESA/Roscosmos)
The most notable feature of the terrain is the “devilish traces”, which resemble dark and soft tufts appearing in clusters throughout the area.
According to SciTechDaily, these “devilish traces” are caused by a phenomenon present on both Mars and Earth: dust devils. This phenomenon occurs when heat from the Sun warms the ground, creating warm air currents that mix with cooler air, forming small but powerful vertical columns of swirling air that can persist for a long time.
Scientists used filters to create a blue-purple hue for the “devilish traces” for better observation. This is not a color you would see with the naked eye – (Image: ESA/Roscosmos)
On Mars, a world less affected by weather phenomena compared to Earth, the traces left by dust devils on the ground have been preserved clearly and for a long time.
Scientists also noted that the blue-purple color of the “devilish traces” is a synthetic hue created by three filters for enhanced observation. This is not the actual color you would see if you were present on Mars.
