It is amazing how much Mars resembles the bulk of the Arabian peninsula.
Not if you think about the periodic table. Elements are going to combine to form rocks and dirt on any planet that has the elements ie. expect inner planets at the other end of the observable universe to look just like this. There are no exotic compounds to be found in space that aren't found here on earth simply because chemistry is the same over the entire universe. What amazes me is that on Mars with a mere .006 of earth's atmosphere there is enough wind activity to blow dust and sand around. I suppose that having 1/3 the gravity makes it easier to move particles. Or maybe it's global warming due to human activity - makes as much sense on mars as it does here.
For now, anyway.
Some day our self preservation may require that the arabian peninsula look more like an old time Coke bottle.