Bagnold Dunes


The Bagnold Dunes is a long group of dark grey dunes in the Gale Crater on Mars. They are named after Ralph Alger Bagnold, who crossed the Libyan Desert and was one of the first explorers to acquire a deep understanding of the physics behind sand dunes. The dunes migrate around every Earth year.
In November 2015, NASA's rover Curiosity began exploring the dunes, finishing the exploration in April 2017. Phase 1 investigated Namib and High Dunes on the edge of the dune field during the late autumn and winter, while Phase 2 was conducted in the southern summer at the linear Nathan Bridges Dune and Mount Desert Island, a ripple field on the southern side of the dunes.