Wau-an-Namus, Libya. (Image: G. Steinmetz, 2008, Figure 1, Foroutan et al. 2019)

A new paper by M. Foroutan (U. Waterloo, Canada) and co-authors describes the first terrestrial dark sand dunes similar to a type of mysterious dune found on Mars.  These megaripples, found surrounding the remote volcanic caldera Wau-an-Namus, Libya, are similar in scale and morphology to Transverse Aeolian Ridges (TARs) observed on Mars.  Further study of these features at Wau-an-Namus may help scientists understand the formation and evolution of TARs on Mars.

For more about Wau-an-Namus, see: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2018.10.021