This dune field and individual dunes are composed of dark, volcanic material. The metallic appearance is caused by bright frost deposits on their south-facing slopes. This frost can also be seen on some south-facing crater slopes. This scene was taken during the second half of the southern winter on Mars, when the seasonal frost cover grows from the South Pole up into the mid-latitudes of Mars.

The Kaiser Crater dune field consists of various dune types, some of which merge into one another. The individual dunes, mostly at the edge, are classic crescent dunes, also known as bachans (see annotated image). As more sand becomes available, the individual bachans merge with one another, giving rise to so-called bachanoid ridges. These represent a transitional form towards the dune type that occupies a large part of the dune field and emerges as sand availability increases: transverse dunes. Their dune ridges are oriented perpendicular to the wind direction and, just like those of the bachans and bachanoid ridges, indicate a prevailing wind direction from the west (the top of the image). Bachans can reach a height of up to more than hundred meters.

Such intra-crater deposits are common in this region – including nearby Neukum Crater, named after planetary scientist Gerhard Neukum (see 2018 press release).