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Defrosting Spots

Oct. 3, 2005
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows dark, defrosting spots formed on a polygon-cracked plain in the south polar region of Mars.

3 October 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark, defrosting spots formed on a polygon-cracked plain in the south polar region of Mars. The surface was covered with carbon dioxide frost during the previous winter. In spring, the material begins to sublime away, creating a pattern of dark spots that sometimes have wind streaks emanating from them, as wind carries away or erodes the frost.

Location near: 87.2°S, 28.4°W
Image width: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Spring

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