Planetary scientists using the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft have captured stunning images of an enigmatic landscape in the Australe Scopuli region of the Red Planet’s southern hemisphere.
Frosty scene in the Australe Scopuli region at the south pole of Mars. Image credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin.
“Here, swirls of carbon dioxide ice and dust layers wrap around the scene, turning the Red Planet white,” the ESA researchers said in a statement.
“The contrasting light and dark layers are particularly striking in the exposed faces of hills and valleys.”
“They trace out the distinctive seasonal polar layered deposits characteristic of this region, formed as layers of ice freeze with varying amounts of dust trapped within.”
“Perhaps you’d prefer a sleigh ride, but either way dress warm, because it’s cold outside: minus 125 degrees Celsius (minus 193 degrees Fahrenheit),” they added.
“Any Martian skier or sleigh rider would also need to slalom around hundreds of potential dust jets.”
“That’s because ski season is almost over and it’s beginning to look a lot like spring — or even summer, for this image was taken on June 16, 2022, close to summer solstice at the south pole.”
Zooming into the image above reveals numerous dark patches where the ice has already sublimated away, a sure sign that the Sun’s warming rays have been falling on this region for some time.
“When sunlight shines through the translucent top layers of the carbon dioxide ice it warms up the underlying surface,” the scientists explained.
“The ice at the bottom of the layer begins to sublimate, creating pockets of trapped gas.”
“The pressure builds up until the overlying ice suddenly cracks, resulting in a burst of gas jetting through the surface.”
“These gas fountains carry dark dust from below, which falls back to the surface in a fan-shaped pattern moulded by the direction of the prevailing wind.”
“The fans can range in length from tens to hundreds of meters.”
“An even closer look shows that the fans often appear to follow the boundaries between the polar layered deposits.”
“Presumably these boundaries represent zones of weakness, where the escaping dust-laden jets can break through the ice layers more easily.”
“We may well have missed our chance to make ‘Frosty the Snowman’, but it’s still a wonderful time of year on Mars.”
