This image shows the rock called "Souffle".
Click on image for full size
Image from: NASA/JPL
Martian Surface Winds
On Mars the surface winds accelerate to higher speeds than those on
Earth. These winds can be whipped to an extreme during the frequent Martian
global dust storms. The first
weather measurements made from the surface of Mars were performed by the
Mars Pathfinder mission. These measurements provided some real data about the strength of Martian winds.
Sand grains from the surface are picked up by the winds and accelerated to high speeds. This leads to a gouging and chipping effect which contributes toward sand erosion of the surface by wind. The rocks found by the Mars Pathfinder lander provided plenty of evidence for sand erosion by wind. Winds are very important to the erosion of Martian rock, and makes the process a little different than on Earth.
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Sand is lifted and carried into the air by winds. The general process by which this occurs is called "saltation". Saltation becomes very powerful during the frequent Martian global dust storms. The rock
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