Journal Pre-proof

Dust devil triggering of slope streaks on Mars

T. Heyer, J. Raack, H. Hiesinger, R. Jaumann

PII: S0019-1035(20)30324-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113951
Reference: YICAR 113951

To appear in: Icarus

Received date: 6 April 2020

Revised date: 20 June 2020
Accepted date: 23 June 2020

Please cite this article as: T. Heyer, J. Raack, H. Hiesinger, et al., Dust devil triggering of
slope streaks on Mars, Icarus (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113951

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such
as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is
not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting,
typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this
version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production
process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers
that apply to the journal pertain.

© 2018 Published by Elsevier.

 Journal Pre-proof

Dust Devil Triggering of Slope Streaks on Mars

Heyer, T.1*, J. Raack1, H. Hiesinger1, and R. Jaumann2

1
Institut für Planetologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Wilhelm-Klemm-Str. 10, 48149

Münster, Germany,
2
Freie Universität Berlin (FUB), Institute of Geological Sciences, Planetary Sciences, Germany,

of
*(Corresponding author; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +49 251 8339075)

ro
-p
Abstract
re
Slope streaks are gravity-driven landforms that occur throughout the martian year in dust-rich
lP

equatorial regions on Mars. The distinctive streaks predominantly originate from point sources

showing no indication for a specific trigger mechanism. Rare observations revealed dust devil-related
na

triggering of multiple slope streaks and thus indicate a dry triggering process.
ur
Jo
 Journal Pre-proof

1. Introduction

Slope streaks are one of the most widespread and largest active geological processes on the surface

of present-day Mars. The meter- to kilometer-scale landforms occur throughout the martian year in

dust-rich, low-thermal-inertia equatorial regions (Sullivan et al., 2001; Schorghofer and King, 2011;

Heyer et al., 2019). A comprehensive monitoring revealed seasonal variations in streak activity and a

correlation with modelled insolation and large-scale wind velocities (Heyer et al., 2019). Slope streaks

emanate on slopes steeper than ~20°, follow the topographic gradient, extend or divert around small

obstacles, and propagate up to maximum lengths of a few kilometers (Brusnikin et al., 2016). Multi-

of
temporal observations revealed that the dark-toned streaks brighten with time, sometimes become

ro
brighter than their surroundings, and fade away due to settling dust from the atmosphere in time
-p
scales from months to decades (e.g., Baratoux et al., 2006; Bergonio et al., 2013; Primm et al., 2020).

The distinctive streaks have never been observed in a terrestrial environment although
re
morphologically similar features on Earth are found in alpine and polar environments (e.g., Baratoux
lP

et al., 2006; Kreslavsky and Head, 2009). Based on orbital observations, terrestrial analogs, and

modelling, a number of mechanisms including granular and aqueous flows have been proposed to
na

explain their formation. Granular flow models describe a dry avalanching or mass wasting of air-fall
ur

dust (e.g., Sullivan et al., 2001). Aqueous models comprise subsurface aquifers, ground staining from

brines, and lubricated dust flows (e.g., Ferris et al., 2002; Kreslavsky and Head, 2009, 2019; Mushkin
Jo

et al., 2010). A comprehensive review of the proposed formation mechanism is presented by

Bhardwaj et al. (2019).

High-resolution images showed that slope streaks typically originate from point sources without any

indication for a specific triggering mechanism (Fig. 1A). A few rare slope streaks has been observed

showing a dispersed tip caused by rockfalls or impacts, indicating that slope streaks are triggered by

various types of disturbances of accumulated dust (Fig. 2B,C; Chuang et al., 2007). Strong near-

surface winds represent another proposed, although not directly observable triggering mechanism

(e.g., Sullivan et al., 2001).

 Journal Pre-proof

Another widespread and frequently observable atmospheric phenomenon on Mars are dust devils.

The particle-loaded low-pressure vortices (e.g., Thomas and Gierasch, 1985) have been observed at

nearly all latitudes from the equator up to ±80° latitude and at almost all elevations (Cantor et al.,

2006). Dust devils arise from unstable near-surface air generated by insolation and become visible by

entrained surficial materials (e.g., Balme and Greeley, 2006). Dust devils cause erosion of thin dust

layers on the surface, which was first investigated in-situ by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on

Mars (Greeley et al., 2005). This erosion of thin dust layers exposes the underlying coarser material,

leading to local albedo differences compared to the unaltered surrounding surface (dark dust devil

of
tracks). This phenomenon was investigated on Earth in detail by Reiss et al. (2010). Other formation

ro
mechanism for dark dust devil tracks are the redistribution of coarse material on consolidated
-p
surfaces (Reiss et al., 2013) and the destruction of sand aggregates for bright dust devil tracks (Reiss

et al., 2011a). A comprehensive review of dust devil tracks is presented by Reiss et al. (2016).
re
Depending on the strength of dust devils, mainly small particles were lifted/removed, while larger
lP

particles were only locally relocated (Raack et al., 2018). On Mars, the resulting tracks as well as

particle-loaded vortices are frequently observed from space (e.g., Ryan and Lucich, 1983; Thomas
na

and Gierasch, 1985; Cantor et al., 2006; Reiss et al., 2011b) or on the surface by lander/rover imagery
ur

(e.g., Metzger et al., 1999; Greeley et al., 2006).

A first indication of dust devil-related triggering of slope streaks has been observed in Arabia Terra by
Jo

Schorghofer et al. (2007; Fig. 1D). Based on an image acquired by the Mars Orbiter Camera (Malin et

al., 2001), a single intersection of a dark dust devil track with the upper part of a single slope streak

has been observed. However, the chronological timing of the slope streak and dust devil occurrence

based on one image was not conclusive. Thus, the circumstance of triggering the slope streak

remained unclear.

2. Observations and statistical analysis

Using images from the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE; McEwen et al., 2007), we

identified several regions where dust devil tracks and slope streaks occur on the same slopes, e.g.,
 Journal Pre-proof

Tharsis (260.3° E, 24.0° N), Arabia Terra (40.0° E, 8.7° N), or Orcus Patera (178.4° E, 11.9° N). Most of

the identified dark tracks indicate that dust devils move over dusty slopes, occasionally intersecting

slope streaks without any apparent interaction. However, a few observations revealed multiple

streaks originating along dark tracks, suggesting a dust devil-related triggering of the streaks (Fig. 2).

In Arabia, we identified a ~650 m long and ~1.5 m wide dust devil track across the top of a steep and

dusty crater rim (Fig. 2E). In the upper part of the slope, multiple streaks with lengths ranging from a

few meters up to ~770 m initiate from the dust devil track and move downslope. The triggered

streaks appear darker in comparison to the dust devil track indicating that slope streaks most likely

of
erode/transport either more fine-grained material than dust devils in the region, or that they

ro
relocate more larger grains from the underground by the granular flow. In both cases the resulting
-p
albedo changes appear more distinctive, also indicating a general stronger force of the slope streaks

(grain flows) than the dust devils.

re
Further observations in Arabia Terra where slope streaks originate from dust devil tracks are
lP

presented in Fig. 2F-H. The dark dust devil tracks here are ~30 m to ~120 m long possibly due to the

short-lived character of the dust devils or due to the local favorable conditions of the surface. In Fig.
na

2G another dust devil track crosses a pre-existing slope streak. The dark dust devil track (in
ur

comparison to the unaltered slope) shows a higher albedo within the slope streak indicating that the

dust devil might have transported and locally relocated/deposited brighter fine materials from the
Jo

upper surface of the undisturbed surroundings. Due to the one-time coverage, the seasonal timing as

well as fading rates of the dust devil tracks and triggered streaks remain unknown.

In order to evaluate the frequency of slope streaks triggered by dust-devils, impacts, and rockfalls,

we analyzed the slope streaks sources in different regions. Due to the widespread slope streak

occurrences (up to several thousand per HiRISE image) and the large amount of HiRISE observations,

it is not practical to evaluate all available images. In order to gather a representative set of slope

streaks, we performed a stratified sampling analysis. In particular, we subdivided the major slope

streak regions, Arabia Terra (18 to 56° E, 0 to 30° N) and the Olympus Mons aureole (212 to 228° E,

14 to 32° N), in 2° quadrangles and analyzed all slope streaks within the HiRISE image closest to the
 Journal Pre-proof

center of the quadrangle. Note that HiRISE images are not randomly distributed but are targeted on

features of interest, e.g., craters or dune fields. Using the Multi-Temporal Database of Planetary

Image Data (MUTED; Heyer et al.; 2018), we analyzed 342 HiRISE images and identified 7122

distinctive slope streaks. The majority of the slope streaks (99.4 %) originate from point sources,

predominantly on knobs, spurs, and areas of local steepening, showing no indication for a specific

triggering mechanism. Indistinct broader tips (sometimes probably hidden by topography) without

identifiable trigger have been observed for 0.48 % of the identified slope streaks. In Arabia Terra, we

identified nine dust devil tracks intersecting the tips of slope streaks (0.12 %) indicating a dust devil-

of
related triggering. In the Olympus Mons aureole, we observed generally fewer dust devil tracks and

ro
no indication for dust devil-triggered slope streaks.
-p
3. Implications for the streak formation process
re

The observed interactions confirm previous observations (e.g., Schorghofer et al., 2007; Fig. 1D) that
lP

slope streaks are triggered by diverse disturbances, including dust devils on Mars. Dust devil-related

streak-triggering has been observed at the upper parts of the slopes, indicating that favorable
na

conditions, e.g., steep slopes and sufficient deposits of dust are essential for streak formation.
ur

Albedo differences between dust devil tracks and consequently triggered slope streaks suggest a

more substantial disturbance of the surface by slope streaks.

Jo

Previous studies concluded that the fading/brightening of both dust devil tracks and slope streaks is

related to air-fall dust (Cantor et al., 2006; Baratoux et al., 2006). This fading process can be

temporary enhanced by (local) dust storm events (e.g., Greeley et al., 2010; Reiss and Lorenz, 2016;

Valantinas et al., 2020). The observed dust devil tracks continuing on older (faded) streaks (Fig. 2F;

arrow), removing newly accumulated air-fall dust, confirm the proposed fading mechanism by

settling dust from the atmosphere.

The observed streak-triggering suggests a dry formation process for these specific slope streaks

where fine-grained material moves downslope in form of an avalanche-like granular flow (e.g.,

Sullivan et al., 2001). However, our stratified analysis showed that most slope streaks (99.4 %)
 Journal Pre-proof

initiate on point sources and show no evidence for a specific triggering mechanism. Potential

unapparent triggering mechanisms, which are consistent with the observed seasonality of slope

streaks (Heyer et al., 2019), are strong winds (e.g., Sullivan et al., 2001) or insolation processes

(Schmidt et al., 2017; Kraemer et al., 2019). Furthermore, dust devils do not leave surface tracks

everywhere. For example, on Earth, dust devils are very common in arid regions but dust devil tracks

were only observed in very few regions (e.g., Rossi and Marinangeli, 2004; Reiss et al., 2010, 2011a,

2013). On Mars, the easiest way to investigate these short-lived phenomena is to map their tracks,

which are common in some regions. However, even there, numerous dust devils without leaving a

of
track (e.g., Greeley et al., 2006) were observed. Thus, a triggering mechanism of slope streaks by

ro
local disturbances of dust devils is possible, even when no dust devil track is identifiable.
-p
4. Conclusion
re

We have found multiple examples for dust devil-triggered slope streaks indicating a dry triggering
lP

process. The observations revealed that single dust devil tracks coincide with several slope streak

origination points and thus provide strong evidences for a causal connection between these dust
na

devils and slope streak triggering. However, the majority of observed slope streaks show no evidence
ur

for a specific triggering mechanism.

Our observations also revealed several dust devil tracks crossing pre-existing slope streaks. The re-
Jo

darkening of slope streaks along the dust devil tracks caused by removal of newly accumulated dust

from the atmosphere confirms the proposed fading of slope streaks by airfall-deposited dust.

A comprehensive monitoring of Terra Arabia (around 27° E, 12° N) as well as local-scale modelling

might provide new insights in the seasonal formation of dust devil and slope streaks and will help to

understand environmental conditions that facilitate the formation of slope streaks. Furthermore, a

multi-temporal coverage of the identified dust devil-triggered streaks would help to analyze and

compare fading/brightening of dust devil tracks and adjacent slope streaks.

Acknowledgements
 Journal Pre-proof

We are grateful for the constructive reviews provided by Ralph Lorenz and an anonymous reviewer.

The study was funded by the German Aerospace Agency (DLR) by the Grant #50QM1801.

References

Balme, M., Greeley, R., 2006. Dust devils on Earth and Mars. Rev. Geophys. 44, RG3003.

of
doi:10.1029/2005RG000188

ro
Baratoux, D., Mangold, N., Forget, F., Cord, A., Pinet, P., Daydou, Y., Jehl, A., Masson, P., Neukum, G.,
-p
The HRSC CO-Investigator Team, 2006. The role of the wind-transported dust in slope streaks

activity: Evidence from the HRSC data. Icarus 183, 30–45. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.01.023
re

Bergonio, J.R., Rottas, K.M., Schorghofer, N., 2013. Properties of martian slope streak populations.
lP

Icarus 225, 194–199. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2013.03.023

Bhardwaj, A., Sam, L., Martín-Torres, F.J., Zorzano, M.P., 2019. Are Slope Streaks Indicative of Global-
na

Scale Aqueous Processes on Contemporary Mars? Rev. Geophys. doi:10.1029/2018RG000617

ur

Brusnikin, E.S., Kreslavsky, M.A., Zubarev, A.E., Patratiy, V.D., Krasilnikov, S.S., Head, J.W.,
Jo

Karachevtseva, I.P., 2016. Topographic measurements of slope streaks on Mars. Icarus 278, 52–

61. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2016.06.005

Cantor, B.A., Kanak, K.M., Edgett, K.S., 2006. Mars Orbiter Camera observations of Martian dust

devils and their tracks (September 1997 to January 2006) and evaluation of theoretical vortex

models. J. Geophys. Res. E Planets 111. doi:10.1029/2006JE002700

Chuang, F.C., Beyer, R.A., McEwen, A.S., Thomson, B.J., 2007. HiRISE observations of slope streaks on

Mars. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34. doi:10.1029/2007GL031111

Ferris, J.C., Dohm, J.M., Baker, V.R., Maddock III, T., 2002. Dark slope streaks on Mars: Are aqueous

processes involved? Geophys. Res. Lett. 29, 5–8. doi:10.1029/2002GL014936

 Journal Pre-proof

Greeley, R., Arvidson, R., Bell, J.F., Christensen, P., Foley, D., Haldemann, A., Kuzmin, R.O., Landis, G.,

Neakrase, L.D.V., Neukum, G., Squyres, S.W., Sullivan, R., Thompson, S.D., Whelley, P.L.,

Williams, D., 2005. Martian variable features: New insight from the Mars Express Orbiter and the

Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. Journal of Geophysical Research 110. doi:10.1029/2005JE002403

Greeley, R., Whelley, P.L., Arvidson, R.E., Cabrol, N.A., Foley, D.J., Franklin, B.J., Geissler, P.G.,

Golombek, M.P., Kuzmin, R.O., Landis, G.A., Lemmon, M.T., Neakrase, L.D.V., Squyres, S.W.,

Thompson, S.D., 2006. Active dust devils in Gusev crater, Mars: Observations from the Mars

Exploration Rover Spirit. Journal of Geophysical Research 111. doi:10.1029/2006JE002743

of
Heyer, T., Hiesinger, H., Reiss, D., Erkeling, G., Bernhardt, H., Luesebrink, D., Jaumann, R., 2018. The

ro
Multi-Temporal Database of Planetary Image Data (MUTED): A web-based tool for studying
-p
dynamic Mars. Planet. Space Sci. 159, 56–65. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2018.04.015

Heyer, T., Kreslavsky, M., Hiesinger, H., Reiss, D., Bernhardt, H., Jaumann, R., 2019. Seasonal
re
formation rates of martian slope streaks. Icarus 323, 76–86. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2019.01.010
lP

Kraemer, A., Teiser, J., Steinpilz, T., Koester, M., Wurm, G., 2019. Analog experiments on thermal

creep gas flow through Martian soil. Planet. Space Sci. 166, 131–134.
na

doi:10.1016/j.pss.2018.09.004
ur

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

527. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.01.026
Jo

Kreslavsky, M.A., Head, J.W., 2019. Slope Streaks on Mars: Synthesis and a New Proposed Formation

Mechanism. Ninth International Conference on Mars. p. #6245.

Malin, M.C., Edgett, K.S., 2001. Mars global surveyor Mars orbiter camera: Interplanetary cruise

through primary mission. Journal of Geophysical Research 106, 23429–23570.

doi:10.1029/2000JE001455

McEwen, A.S., Eliason, E.M., Bergstrom, J.W., Bridges, N.T., Hansen, C.J., Delamere, W.A., Grant, J.A.,

Gulick, V.C., Herkenhoff, K.E., Keszthelyi, L., Kirk, R.L., Mellon, M.T., Squyres, S.W., Thomas, N.,

Weitz, C.M., 2007. Mars reconnaissance orbiter’s high resolution imaging science experiment

(HiRISE). J. Journal of Geophysical Research 112. doi:10.1029/2005JE002605

 Journal Pre-proof

Metzger, S.M., Carr, J.R., Johnson, J.R., Parker, T.J., Lemmon, M.T., 1999. Dust devil vortices seen by

the Mars Pathfinder camera. Geophys. Res. Lett. 26, 2781–2784. doi:10.1029/1999GL008341

Mushkin, A., Gillespie, A.R., Montgomery, D.R., Schreiber, B.C., Arvidson, R.E., 2010. Spectral

constraints on the composition of low‐albedo slope streaks in the Olympus Mons Aureole.

Geophys. Res. Lett. 37. doi:10.1029/2010GL044535

Primm, K.M., Hoover, R.H., Kaplan, H.H., Stillman, D.E., 2020. Seasonality and Surface Properties of

Slope Streaks. LPSC LI. #2556.

Raack, J., Reiss, D., Balme, M.R., Taj-Eddine, K., Ori, G.G., 2018. In Situ Sampling of Relative Dust Devil

of
Particle Loads and Their Vertical Grain Size Distributions. Astrobiology 18, 1305-1317.

ro
doi:10.1089/ast.2016.1544
-p
Reiss, D., Raack, J., Rossi, A.P., Di Achille, G., Hiesinger, H., 2010. First in-situ analysis of dust devil

tracks on Earth and their comparison with tracks on Mars. Geophys. Res. Lett. 37.
re
doi:10.1029/2010GL044016
lP

Reiss, D., Raack, J., Hiesinger, H., 2011a. Bright dust devil tracks on Earth: Implications for their

formation on Mars. Icarus 211, 917-920. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.09.009

na

Reiss, D., Zanetti, M., Neukum, G., 2011b. Multitemporal observations of identical active dust devils
ur

on Mars with the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) and Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC). Icarus

215, 358–369. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2011.06.011

Jo

Reiss, D., Zimmerman, M.I., Lewellen, D.C., 2013. Formation of cycloidal dust devil tracks by

redeposition of coarse sands in southern Peru: Implications for Mars. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 383,

7–15. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2013.09.033

Reiss, D., Fenton, L., Neakrase, L., Zimmerman, M., Statella, T., Whelley, P., Rossi, A.P., Balme, M.,

2016. Dust Devil Tracks. Space Sci. Rev. 203, 143–181. doi:10.1007/s11214-016-0308-6

Reiss, D., Lorenz, R.D., 2016. Dust devil track survey at Elysium Planitia, Mars: Implications for the

InSight landing sites. Icarus 266, 315–330. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.11.012

Rossi, A.P., Marinangeli, L., 2004. The first terrestrial analogue to Martian dust devil tracks found in

Ténéré Desert, Niger. Geophys. Res. Lett. 31. doi:10.1029/2004gl019428

 Journal Pre-proof

Ryan, J.A., Lucich, R.D., 1983. Possible Dust Devils, Vortices on Mars. J. Geophys. Res. 88, 11005–

11011. doi:10.1029/JC088iC15p11005

Schmidt, F., Andrieu, F., Costard, F., Kocifaj, M., Meresescu, A.G., 2017. Formation of recurring slope

lineae on Mars by rarefied gas-triggered granular flows. Nat. Geosci. 10, 270–273.

doi:10.1038/ngeo2917

Schorghofer, N., Aharonson, O., Gerstell, M.F., Tatsumi, L., 2007. Three decades of slope streak

activity on Mars. Icarus 191, 132–140. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2007.04.026

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

of
doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2011.08.028

ro
Sullivan, R., Thomas, P., Veverka, J., Malin, M.C., Edgett, K.S., 2001. Mass movement slope streaks
-p
imaged by the Mars Orbiter Camera. Journal of Geophysical Research 106, 23607–23633.

doi:10.1029/2000JE001296
re
Thomas, P., Gierasch, P.J., 1985. Dust devils on Mars. Science 230, 175–177.
lP

doi:10.1126/science.230.4722.175

Valantinas, A., Thomas, N., Pommerol, A., Becerra, P., Hauber, E., Tornabene, L.L., McEwen, A.,
na

Cremonese, G., 2020. Multi-Angular Observations of Martian Bright Slope Streaks, LPSC LI.
ur

#2419.
Jo
 Journal Pre-proof

Figures

of
ro
-p
re
lP
na

Fig. 1. Slope streaks predominantly originate from point sources without identifiable triggering
ur

mechanisms (A). Rare observed triggering events are rockfalls (B), impacts (C), and dust devils (D). All
Jo

figures and close-ups (bottom images) are stretched to show local albedo differences of streaks, dust

devil tracks, and the unaltered background. Downhill is to the bottom. (HiRISE images (A)

ESP_051210_2115, (B) PSP_003569_2035, (C) ESP_054066_1920), and (D) PSP_009192_1890).

 Journal Pre-proof

of
ro
-p
re
lP

Fig. 2. Multiple slope streaks initiate along dark dust devil tracks in Arabia Terra, indicating a dust
na

devil-related streak triggering. Notice multiple dark dust devil tracks on the slope which trigger no

slope streaks and cross older (faded) streaks (e.g., black arrow). Downhill is to the bottom. (HiRISE
ur

images (E) PSP_009192_1890 (F, G) ESP_027244_1890, and (H) PSP_008441_1920_RED).

Jo
 Journal Pre-proof

 Multiple examples for dust devil-triggered slope streaks indicate a dry triggering process.
 Dust devil tracks crossing older streaks confirm fading by airfall dust.
 Most slope streaks originate from point sources and show no indication for a specific trigger
mechanism.

of
ro
-p
re
lP
na
ur
Jo