Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Geomorphological evidence for a dry dust avalanche origin of slope streaks on Mars

Nature Geoscience volume 13, pages 473–476 (2020)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Mars has several different types of slope feature that resemble aqueous flows. However, the current cold, dry conditions are inimical to liquid water, resulting in uncertainty about its role in modern surface processes. Dark slope streaks were among the first distinctive young slope features to be identified on Mars and the first with activity seen in orbital images. They form markings on steep slopes that can persist for decades, and the role of water in their formation remains a matter of debate. Here I analyse the geomorphic features of new slope streaks using high-resolution orbital images. Comparison of images before and after streak formation reveal how this process affects the surface and provides information about the cause. These observations demonstrate that slope streaks erode and deposit material in some instances. They also reveal that streaks can jump slopes and may be erosive very near their termini. These observations support a formation model where dark slope streaks form as ground-hugging, low-density avalanches of dry surface dust. Such streaks need not be treated as Special Regions for planetary protection.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Formation of ridges corresponding to lobe boundaries within a new slope streak.
Fig. 2: Evidence for erosion near slope streak termini.
Fig. 3: Slope streak topographic interactions.
Fig. 4: Interactions between new and existing slope streaks.

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

All of the data used in this study are available via the NASA Planetary Data System and/or the HiRISE team website at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu. Supplementary Table 1 provides the geographic locations of all images used.

References

  1. Ferguson, H. M. & Lucchitta, B. K. Dark Streaks on Talus Slopes, Mars Technical Memorandum TM-86246 188–190 (NASA, 1984).

  2. Sullivan, R., Thomas, P., Veverka, J., Malin, M. & Edgett, K. S. Mass movement slope streaks imaged by the Mars Orbiter Camera. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 23607–23633 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Malin, M. C. et al. Mars Observer Camera. J. Geophys. Res. 97, 7699–7718 (1992).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Williams, S. H. Dark talus streaks on Mars are similar to aeolian dark streaks. Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf. 22, 1509–1510 (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Schorghofer, N., Aharonson, O. & Khatiwala, S. Slope streaks on Mars: correlations with surface properties and the potential role of water. Geophys. Res. Lett. 29, 2126 (2002).

  6. Schorghofer, N., Aharonson, O., Gerstell, M. F. & Tatsumi, L. Three decades of slope streak activity on Mars. Icarus 191, 132–140 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. McEwen, A. S. et al. Recurring slope lineae in equatorial regions of Mars. Nat. Geosci. 7, 53–58 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. McEwen, A. S. et al. Seasonal flows on warm Martian slopes. Science 333, 740–743 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Morris, E. C. Aureole deposits of the Martian volcano Olympus Mons. J. Geophys. Res. 87, 1164–1178 (1982).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Ferris, J. C., Dohm, J. M., Baker, V. R. & Maddock T. III Dark slope streaks on Mars: are aqueous processes involved? Geophys. Res. Lett. 29, 1490 (2002).

  11. Miyamoto, H., Dohm, J. M., Beter, R. A. & Baker, V. R. Fluid dynamical implications of anastomosing slope streaks on Mars. J. Geophys. Res. 109, E06008 (2004).

  12. Baratoux, D. et al. The role of wind-transported dust in slope streaks activity: evidence from the HRSC data. Icarus 183, 30–45 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Kreslavsky, M. A. & Head, J. W. Slope streaks on Mars: A new “wet” mechanism. Icarus 201, 517–527 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Phillips, C. B., Burr, D. M. & Beyer, R. A. Mass movement within a slope streak on Mars. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L21202 (2007).

  15. Gerstell, M. F., Aharonson, O. & Schorghofer, N. A distinct class of avalanche scars on Mars. Icarus 168, 122–130 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Chuang, F. C., Beyer, R. A., McEwen, A. S. & Thomson, B. J. HiRISE observations of slope streaks on Mars. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L20204 (2007).

  17. Chuang, F. C., Beyer, R. A. & Bridges, N. T. Modification of Martian slope streaks by eolian processes. Icarus 205, 154–164 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Brusnikin, E. S. et al. Topographic measurements of slope streaks on Mars. Icarus 278, 52–61 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Bhardwaj, A., Sam, L., Martín-Torres, F. J., Zorzano, M.-P. & Fonseca, R. M. Martian slope streaks as plausible indicators of transient liquid water activity. Sci. Rep. 7, 7074 (2017).

  20. Mushkin, A., Gillespie, A. R., Montgomery, D. R., Schreiber, B. C. & Arvidson, R. E. Spectral constraints on the composition of low-albedo slope streaks in the Olympus Mons Aureole. Geophys. Res. Lett. 37, L22201 (2010).

  21. Edgett, K. S., Malin, M. C., Sullivan, R. J., Thomas, P. & Veverka, J. Dynamic Mars: new dark slope streaks observed on annual and decadal time scales. Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf. 31, 1058 (2000).

  22. Aharonson, O., Schorghofer, N. & Gerstell, M. Slope streak formation and dust deposition rates on Mars. J. Geophys. Res. 108, 5138 (2003).

  23. Bergonio, J. R., Rottas, K. M. & Schorghofer, N. Properties of Martian slope streak populations. Icarus 225, 194–199 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Schorghofer, N. & King, C. M. Sporadic formation of slope streaks on Mars. Icarus 216, 159–168 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Heyer, T. et al. Seasonal formation rates of Martian slope streaks. Icarus 323, 76–86 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. McEwen, A. S. et al. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). J. Geophys. Res. 112, E05S02 (2007).

  27. Malin, M. C. & Edgett, K. S. Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera: interplanetary cruise through primary mission. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 23429–23570 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Burleigh, K. J. et al. Impact airblast triggers dust avalanches on Mars. Icarus 217, 194–201 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Dundas, C. M. et al. Granular flows at recurring slope lineae on Mars indicate a limited role for liquid water. Nat. Geosci. 10, 903–907 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Heyer, T., Hiesinger, H., Reiss, D., Erkeling, G., Bernhardt, H., Luesebrink, D. & Jaumann, R. The Multi-Temporal Database of Planetary Image Data (MUTED): a web-based tool for studying dynamic Mars. Planet. Space Sci. 159, 56–65 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Levy, J. S., Fountain, A. G., Gooseff, M. N., Welch, K. A. & Lyons, W. B. Water tracks and permafrost in Taylor Valley, Antarctica: extensive and shallow groundwater connectivity in a cold desert ecosystem. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 123, 2295–2311 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Bridges, N. T. et al. Aeolian bedforms, yardangs, and indurated surfaces in the Tharsis Montes as seen by the HiRISE Camera: evidence for dust aggregates. Icarus 205, 165–182 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Sullivan, R. & Kok, J. F. Aeolian saltation on Mars at low wind speeds. J. Geophys. Res. Planets 122, 2111–2143 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Herkenhoff, K. E. et al. Textures of the soils and rocks at Gusev crater from Spirit’s Microscopic Imager. Science 305, 824–826 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Moore, H. J. The Martian dust storm of Sol 1742. J. Geophys. Res. 90, D163–D174 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Moore, H. J., Hutton, R. E., Clow, G. D. & Spitzer, C. R. Physical properties of the surface materials at the Viking landing sites on Mars. US Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 1389, 222 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  37. McEwen, A. S., Schafer, E., Sutton, S. & Chojnacki, M. Abundant Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) following the 2018 planet-encircling dust event (PEDE). Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf. 50, 1376 (2019).

  38. Wurm, G., Teiser, J. & Reiss, D. Greenhouse and thermophoretic effects in dust layers: the missing link for lifting of dust on Mars. Geophys. Res. Lett. 35, L10201 (2008).

  39. Küpper, M. & Wurm, G. Thermal creep-assisted dust lifting on Mars: wind tunnel experiments for the entrainment threshold velocity. J. Geophys. Res. Planets 120, 1346–1356 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Schmidt, F., Andrieu, F., Costard, F., Kocifaj, M. & Meresescu, A. G. Formation of recurring slope lineae on Mars by rarefied gas-triggered granular flows. Nat. Geosci. 10, 270–274 (2017).

  41. Kraemer, A., Teiser, J., Steinpilz, T., Koester, M. & Wurm, G. Analog experiments on thermal creep gas flow through Martian soil. Planet. Space Sci. 166, 131–134 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Gough, R. V., Nuding, D. L., Toigo, A., Guzewich, S. & Tolbert, M. A. An examination of atmospheric water vapor as a source for recurring slope lineae on Mars. In Ninth International Conference on Mars 6327 (Lunar and Planetary Institute, 2019).

  43. Toyota, T., Kurita, K. & Spiga, A. Distribution and time-variation of spire streaks at Pavonis Mons on Mars. Planet. Space Sci. 59, 672–682 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Rummel, J. D. et al. A new analysis of Mars “Special Regions”: findings of the second MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2). Astrobiology 14, 887–968 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Zurek, R. W. & Smrekar, S. E. An overview of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) science mission. J. Geophys. Res. 112, E05S01 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Dundas, C. M., Diniega, S. & McEwen, A. S. Long-term monitoring of Martian gully formation and evolution with MRO/HiRISE. Icarus 251, 244–263 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Geissler, P. E. & Wilgus, J. T. The morphology of transverse aeolian ridges on Mars. Aeolian Res. 26, 63–71 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the NASA Mars Data Analysis Program under agreement number 80HQTR17T0022. HiRISE data were collected, processed and released by NASA/JPL/University of Arizona and the MRO project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Astrogeology Science Center, US Geological Survey, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    Colin M. Dundas

Authors
  1. Colin M. Dundas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Colin M. Dundas.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Additional information

Peer review information Primary Handling Editor: Stefan Lachowycz.

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Extended data

Extended Data Fig. 1 Slope streaks fading rapidly and forming in concentrated bursts.

From a to b, the slopes were reset in less than one Mars year: virtually all existing streaks faded and were replaced by a large number of new streaks. From b to c, a handful of new streaks formed while the existing streaks remained distinct, possibly fading slowly, over nearly three Mars years. This demonstrates that the rapid fading and intense streak formation from a to b is not a characteristic of this site at all times, and instead indicates a fading/obliteration event and subsequent burst of streak formation, followed by reversion to a slower background rate of change.

Extended Data Fig. 2 Anaglyph demonstrating topographic control of a dark slope streak.

Downhill is to the right. The streak was interrupted by a ridge, which is likely 1-2 meters high based on the wavelength47. The flow proceeded obliquely downhill along the ridge until overtopping it at several local lows. This behavior is not expected for gradual seepage.

Extended Data Fig. 3 New slope streak straddling the edge of an old avalanche scar.

The shaded scar margin visible in a is along the median axis of the streak in b. This demonstrates that streaks need not remove the entire failure-prone layer. Additionally, while they can be controlled and deflected by subtle topography, the flow was capable of proceeding on both the high and low sides of the scarp with no effect on its behavior, indicating that it was a superficial phenomenon. Downhill is to the lower right.

Extended Data Fig. 4 Example of mass movement in a new slope streak.

Scarps and shading from lumpy dust deposits are visible in a, but an additional scarp with no corresponding feature is present in the new scarp in b (arrow), demonstrating movement of a thick body of dust. Also note numerous small patches within the streak that were unaffected by its passage. Downhill is to the left.

Extended Data Fig. 5 Example of mass movement in a new slope streak.

a is from before the streak formed, while b and c are after. Changes in topography are distributed throughout the streak and along the southern margin; arrows indicate particularly distinct examples such as pits or reshaping of surface features. Downhill is to the right.

Extended Data Fig. 6 Additional evidence for incision extending to near slope streak termini.

The ridges in the western part of panel a have narrow incised channels in the troughs between them, similar to Fig. 2. Panel b shows detail. This erosion stops at approximately the red dotted line, which is also the approximate distal limit for slope streaks at this site.

Extended Data Fig. 7 Example of a spire streak from Pavonis Mons.

The surface is generally flat, but the streak was capable of running up and over obstacles. The edges of the streak appear sharp at low resolution (a) but are jagged in detail (b), likely due to interactions between the wind and regular, subtle surface relief.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Table 3 and descriptive information for Data 1 and 2.

Supplementary Data 1

List of sites and coordinates; see Supplementary Information for details.

Supplementary Data 2

List of new slope streaks documented in this work; see Supplementary Information for details.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dundas, C.M. Geomorphological evidence for a dry dust avalanche origin of slope streaks on Mars. Nat. Geosci. 13, 473–476 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0598-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0598-x

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing