In the context of phenomena, “aeolian” refers to physical processes and resulting features driven by the action of wind on unconsolidated or loosely consolidated surface materials, primarily sediments. Aeolian phenomena encompass erosion (deflation and abrasion), transport (suspension, saltation, and surface creep), and deposition, leading to landforms such as dunes, loess deposits, and ripples. These processes are governed by factors including wind velocity and variability, grain-size distribution, surface roughness, moisture content, and vegetation cover. Aeolian dynamics are central to geomorphology and planetary science, contributing to landscape evolution on Earth as well as on other bodies with atmospheres, such as Mars and Titan.
Craters, craters, and yet more craters: this snapshot from ESA's Mars Express is packed full of them, each as fascinating as the last.
Planetary Sciences
Mar 4, 2026
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NASA's Curiosity Mars rover discovered these bumpy, pea-sized nodules while exploring a region filled with boxwork formations—low ridges standing roughly 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) tall with sandy hollows in between. This ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 1, 2026
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NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this panorama of boxwork formations—the low ridges seen here with hollows in between them—using its Mastcam on Sept. 26, 2025, the 4,671st Martian day (sol) of the mission. These boxwork ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 23, 2026
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For about six months, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has been exploring a region full of geologic formations called boxwork, low ridges standing roughly 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) tall with sandy hollows in between. Crisscrossing ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 23, 2026
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A study in Nature Geoscience reveals that changes in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) closely tracked marine algae growth in the Southern Ocean over previous glacial cycles, but not in the way scientists expected. The ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 2, 2026
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Large-scale melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is irreversible and happening at a rapid rate, and now a new international study is the first to understand why. A University of Waterloo scientist and a team of international ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 28, 2026
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Dandelions are incredible plants with a highly efficient seed-dispersal system, meaning even a gentle breeze can carry seeds and their parachutes great distances. But in several places in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, they have ...
Martian winds can have quite an impact. ESA's Mars Express has spotted them whipping up sand grains and acting as a cosmic sandblaster, carving out intriguing grooves near Mars's equator.
Planetary Sciences
Jan 7, 2026
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40
While much of Perseverance's work focuses on ancient rocks that record Mars' long-lost rivers and lakes, megaripples offer a rare opportunity to examine processes that are still shaping the surface today. Megaripples are ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 22, 2025
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24
Mars is a dusty planet dominated by vast, dry deserts, with no easily accessible sources of liquid water. Much like on Earth, dust is lifted from Mars's surface by wind and rotating air columns, transported through the atmosphere, ...
Space Exploration
Dec 17, 2025
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