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Explanation: What are those unusual plates on Mars? A leading current interpretation holds that they are blocks of ice floating on a recently frozen sea covered by dust. The unusual plates were photographed recently by the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft currently orbiting Mars. Oddly, the region lies near the Martian equator and not near either of Mars' frozen polar caps. Without being covered by dust, any water or ice near away from the poles would quickly evaporate right into the atmosphere. Evidence that the above-imaged plates really are dust-covered water-ice includes a similarity in appearance to ice blocks off Earth's Antarctica, nearby surface fractures from which underground water could have flowed, and the shallow depth of the craters indicating that something is filling them in. If correct, the low abundance of craters indicates that water may have flowed on Mars as recently as five million years ago.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars - ice
Publications with words: Mars - ice
See also:
- APOD: 2026 July 29 Á Psyche Receives Gravity Assist from Mars
- APOD: 2026 July 28 Á Barnards Loop over Twin Volcanoes
- APOD: 2026 July 21 Á Turtle Rock on Mars
- APOD: 2026 June 27 Á Mars Marathon by Perseverance
- APOD: 2026 February 22 Á Shadow of a Martian Robot
- APOD: 2026 February 1 Á Galle: Happy Face Crater on Mars
- APOD: 2025 September 28 Á Leopard Spots on Martian Rocks