It’s Spring on Mars—and That Means Violently Explosive Geysers and Avalanches
WiredWhen the frozen carbon dioxide has all melted in the summer, distinctive marks are revealed on the Martian landscape. The processes that create these spidery formations aren’t fully understood, though JPL is working on mimicking the temperatures and pressures of Mars to re-create them. This image was taken by NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor, an earlier probe, launched in 1996, which has completed its operations. PHOTOGRAPH: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS The arrival of spring on Mars also brings strong winds, and it’s believed that the characteristic spiral pattern of Mars’ north polar cap has been created over many years by winds blowing from the cap’s center to its periphery. PHOTOGRAPH: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA The strong spring winds also move sand dunes on the Martian surface, just like winds do in deserts on Earth.
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