An Avalanche on Mars . ... Credit Copyright: HiRISE , MRO , LPL (U. Arizona) , NASA Explanation: What caused this sudden cloud of dust on Mars? ... The first avalanche imaged in progress on another planet was recorded last month on Mars by NASA's robotic Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter . Visible in the above picture , digitally rescaled, are several layers of white ice thawing over red rock , with darker colors toward the right indicated Martian soil that mixed with lesser amounts of ice. ...