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Polar Summer

April 7, 2006
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows south polar mesas composed largely of solid carbon dioxide separated by generally circular depressions.

6 April 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows south polar mesas composed largely of solid carbon dioxide separated by generally circular depressions. The arcuate scarps, which delineate the mesas, retreat approximately 3 meters per Mars year (two Earth years), owing to sublimation which occurs primarily during the martian summer months.

Location near: 86.9°S, 340.2°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Summer

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