Martian Dust

[Sole]

This may well be a very dumb question...:doh:

Given the global dust storms that Mars periodically experiences, why is it that Valles Marinaris doesn't serve as a dust trap? The logical reason is that winds blowing within the valley system extract the dust.

Anybody have a more erudite or factual solution?

Sole, NZ:cold:

[ving]

er.... stuffed if I know?

welcome aboard anyhow sole. I am sure one of the guys has a theory or two on this :)

[[1ponders]]

Don't know sole, but I'll have a guess. Maybe because it runs generally east west and is so wide the wind storms, that move in that direction ( or is it west east I can never remember) are able to get right down into the canyon lifting the dust high in the asmosphere.

Good question though. I don't know if I'm close but it makes sense to me.

[Sole]

Yep, that is somewhere near my conclusion. Obviously although there is less atmospheric density the Martian winds pack some punch as even the crater floors seem relatively dust free.

Sole:ashamed: