Martian 'dust devil' tracks

This image, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, shows a part of the southern highlands of Mars, called Promethei Terra.

It was taken during orbit 368 on 5 May 2004 with a ground resolution of approximately 14 metres per pixel. The displayed region is centred around longitude 118° East and latitude 42° South.

It shows a close-up view of a crater in the Promethei Terra region, east of the Hellas Planitia impact basin. The smooth surface is caused by a layer of dust or volcanic ash that is up to several tens of metres thick. The numerous dark lines to the north-west of this crater are ‘dust devil’ tracks.

This colour perspective view was calculated from the digital terrain model derived from the stereo channels.