The Ibex dune field of Death Valley National Park, California: Characterization and assessment for Use as a Martian analog

Earth analogs have become increasingly valuable in efforts to expand our understanding of aeolian (wind-driven) activity dominating the surface of modern-day Mars. These sites enable in-situ access for researchers and equipment, and facilitate investigations that are beyond the scope of the landed Mars missions. As the climate on modern Mars is extremely arid and devoid of vegetation, analog environments on Earth are often in remote and inhospitable environments (i.e., the Argentinian Puna and Antarctic Dry Valleys), which can make research at the sites logistically and physically challenging. However, within Death Valley National Park, which is comparably very accessible, and is the driest place in North America, lies the under-studied Ibex Dune field. This area hosts a variety of bedforms of different scales in close proximity, comparable to many areas on the Martian surface, and thus presents a novel morphologic analog for the poorly understood decimeter – meter scale bedforms on Mars, including: transverse aeolian ridges, large Martian ripples, and megaripples. Here, we discuss the dynamic Ibex Dune Field system, specifically: (1) bedform morphologies and migration patterns within the site, (2) the sand mineralogy and possible provenance, (2) the dune field age and evolution, (3) current wind patterns at the site, (4) applicability to Mars, and (5) the limitations of such an analog system.