High albedo dune features suggest past dune migration and possible geochemical cementation of aeolian sediments on Mars

International audienceHigh albedo features are identified in association with barchan dunes in an equatorial inter-crater dune field on Mars using data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. This paper describes the morphometric properties of these features and their association with the present barchan dune field. We propose that these features are cemented aeolian deposits that form at the foot of the dune avalanche face. A possible terrestrial analog exists at White Sands National Monument, in south-central New Mexico, USA. The presence of these features suggests past episodes of dune migration in inter-crater dunefields and liquid water in the near sub-surface in sufficient quantity to cause the cementation of aeolian dune sediment