Precision topography of a reversing sand dune at Bruneau Dunes, Idaho, as an analog for Transverse Aeolian Ridges on Mars

• Reversing dune profile shape progresses from immature to transitional to mature.
• Profiles scaled by width can be compared even when width increases by >10×.
• Some Mars TARs are most similar to a transitional to mature reversing dune.

Ten high precision topographic profiles across a reversing dune were created from a differential global position system (DGPS). The shapes of the profiles reveal a progression from immature to transitional to mature characteristics moving up the dune. When scaled by the basal width along each profile, shape characteristics can be compared for profiles whose horizontal scales differ by orders of magnitude. The comparison of width-scaled Bruneau Dunes profiles to similarly scaled profiles of Transverse Aeolian Ridges (TARs) on Mars indicates that many TARs are likely similar to transitional or mature reversing sand dunes.