JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

Jamming with the 'Spiders' from Mars

July 9, 2018
Context Image
Larger image for PIA22587
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, acquired May 13, 2018 during winter at the South Pole of Mars, shows a carbon dioxide ice cap covering the region and as the sun returns in the spring, 'spiders' begin to emerge from the landscape.
Context Image
Larger image for PIA22587

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, acquired May 13, 2018 during winter at the South Pole of Mars, shows a carbon dioxide ice cap covering the region and as the sun returns in the spring, "spiders" begin to emerge from the landscape.

But these aren't actual spiders. Called "araneiform terrain," describes the spider-like radiating mounds that form when carbon dioxide ice below the surface heats up and releases. This is an active seasonal process not seen on Earth. Like dry ice on Earth, the carbon dioxide ice on Mars sublimates as it warms (changes from solid to gas) and the gas becomes trapped below the surface.

Over time the trapped carbon dioxide gas builds in pressure and is eventually strong enough to break through the ice as a jet that erupts dust. The gas is released into the atmosphere and darker dust may be deposited around the vent or transported by winds to produce streaks. The loss of the sublimated carbon dioxide leaves behind these spider-like features etched into the surface.

The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. [The original image scale is 49.4 centimeters (19.4 inches) per pixel (with 2 x 2 binning); objects on the order of 148 centimeters (58.2 inches) across are resolved.] North is up.

The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
Target
  • Mars
Spacecraft
  • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
Instrument
  • High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Keep Exploring

A Look at a Steep North Polar Scarp

Boulder Patterns

Glacial (Ice) or Lava Flow?

Circular Sand Dunes

Gully Activity in Triolet Crater

Going with the Flow

A New Impact Event

A Bear on Mars?

Channels on a Streamlined Island of Kasei Vallis

Mysterious Crater Deposits

Related Topic

Video .

Perseverance's Mastcam-Z Views Ingenuity's 47th Takeoff

News .

Engineers Keep an Eye on Fuel Supply of NASA’s Oldest Mars Orbiter

Audio .

Episode 12: Secrets of the Mars Rovers

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Views First ‘Sun Rays’ on Mars

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Set to Begin Third Year at Jezero Crater

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Shows Off Collection of Mars Samples

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Finds Surprise Clues to Mars’ Watery Past

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Completes Mars Sample Depot

Event Feb. 16, 2023 .

Perseverance: Two Years on Mars

Audio .

Episode 11: Digging In: When Rovers Get Dirt on Mars

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018