Mars: Ridges Near the South Pole
Explanation:
No, it's not breakfast ... but looking down
from an orbiting spacecraft, the odd intersecting ridges covering
this area
of Mars do present a waffle-like appearance.
The cause of the ridge pattern is unknown but it suggests
that more complex layered deposits lie below.
The south polar region in this Mars Global Surveyor
image measures
about 8.5 by 12 miles and is spread with a layer of bright,
seasonal carbon dioxide frost.
Mysterious dark spots which pepper some of the interridge areas are 60 to 300
feet across.
Their exact nature is also unknown, but these spots have
apparently
defrosted
early and lack the bright layer of frozen carbon dioxide.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
