A pit in the dry-ice polar cap of Mars
This cool image is possibly of some of the most alien terrain on Mars. The photo to the right, rotated and cropped to post here, shows a pit (not a peak) in the dry-ice cap that covers a small portion of the southern polar ice cap on Mars. North is up. It was taken on June 16, 2022 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). In fact, at 88 degrees south latitude, the image is just about as far south as it is possible for MRO to take pictures. Beyond this the orbit does not reach.
If you look close, you can see that there are several distinct layers in the sunlight eastern interior slopes of the pit. The base of the pit itself appears to have ripples, as if their might be Martian dust trapped inside.
This is a very cold and alien place. The ground is made of dry ice. The temperatures are always cold, well below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you look at the full image, you will see that, except for the very tiny pit nearby to the east, this pit is all by itself. If the underlying terrain caused this sinkhole to form, why only here?
The overview map below shows the location, which might help explain things.
» Read more
This cool image is possibly of some of the most alien terrain on Mars. The photo to the right, rotated and cropped to post here, shows a pit (not a peak) in the dry-ice cap that covers a small portion of the southern polar ice cap on Mars. North is up. It was taken on June 16, 2022 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). In fact, at 88 degrees south latitude, the image is just about as far south as it is possible for MRO to take pictures. Beyond this the orbit does not reach.
If you look close, you can see that there are several distinct layers in the sunlight eastern interior slopes of the pit. The base of the pit itself appears to have ripples, as if their might be Martian dust trapped inside.
This is a very cold and alien place. The ground is made of dry ice. The temperatures are always cold, well below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you look at the full image, you will see that, except for the very tiny pit nearby to the east, this pit is all by itself. If the underlying terrain caused this sinkhole to form, why only here?
The overview map below shows the location, which might help explain things.
» Read more