Sinuous Ridge in the Aeolis Region (3-D)

This sinuous raised ridge is thought to be an inverted stream channel. These are formerly low-lying streambeds that became elevated because the original depression is filled with materials (such as rocks and/or sediments that have been cemented by chemicals precipitating from flowing water) that remain while adjacent fine material is blown away by the wind. On either side of the inverted channel and throughout the image are several linear, streamlined ridges oriented roughly south to north. These are yardangs, streamlined remnants of material shaped by the action of sand-blown sediments that eroded away weaker material.