Mars - Wind friction speeds for particle movement

Wind friction threshold speeds for particle movement were determined in a low pressure boundary layer wind tunnel at an atmospheric pressure of 5.3 mb. The results imply that for comparable pressures on Mars, the minimum wind friction threshold speed is about 2.5 m/sec, which would require free-stream winds of 50 to 135 m/sec, depending on the character of the surface and the atmospheric conditions. The corresponding wind speeds at the height of the Viking lander meteorology instrument would be about a factor of two less than the free-stream wind speed. The particle size most easily moved by winds on Mars is about 160 microns; particles both larger and smaller than this (at least down to about 5 microns) require stronger winds to initiate movement.