The research presented in this thesis focuses on the morphological, mineralogical, and thermal characteristics of dark material deposits in Martian craters. The information gained will be used to deduce the history and development of the material and to shed light on evolution processes and scenarios of its origin. Special aspects of this topic include revealing the sources of the material, identifying possible mineralogical correspondences between deposits, and examining dune surfaces for

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... ity or induration. A comparative analysis on a global scale will serve to investigate whether all deposits examined are of common origin, and whether any correlations exist between the characteristics analyzed. Thus, this work is intended to bridge the gap between detailed local analyses and global studies. Carried out on the basis of 70 selected localities comprising individual dark dunes, dune fields and sand sheets, analyzed based on imaging, spectral, and thermal orbiter data, this work aims to derive and compare morphological, compositional and physical properties. Morphological analyses reveal dark layers exposed in a number of crater walls, showing indications of material transport from the layers down-wall to the intra-crater deposits. Further sites show dark material emerging from the floors of several craters, suggesting a dark material source beneath. Spectral analyses showed for the first time that a direct mineralogical analogy exists between the dark layers in the crater walls and the intra-crater dune and sand sheet material. Based on these findings, it could be shown that these layers are the local sources for the dark material inside the craters. Spectral analyses further indicate that all deposits are nearly of the same mafic mineralogical composition, hinting at a similar origin. It is shown that the thermal properties of the dunes point to consolidation on several dune surfaces, whereas the bulk of the dunes seem to consist of unconsolidated sands with coarse grain-size particles. A global consideration [...]