South Polar Designs

April 29, 2006

This NASA Mars Global Surveyor image shows an undulating scene in the south polar region of Mars. Small, elevated mesas of smooth, relatively homogeneous-appearing material are separated by low-lying regions that are speckled and darkened.

29 April 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an undulating scene in the south polar region of Mars. Small, elevated mesas of smooth, relatively homogeneous-appearing material are separated by low-lying regions that are speckled and darkened in some local areas. Over the martian summer months, sublimation of solid carbon dioxide -- the bright material in the scene -- contributes to the darkening of the sides of the mesas as well as the low-lying regions between them.

Location near: 86.8°S, 341.3°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Summer

South Polar Designs

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