Feb. 6, 2012 -- As spring comes to Mars' north polar latitudes, the added sunlight warms layers of subsurface CO2 ice, which can rapidly sublimate and force its way outwards and upwards.
When this occurs along the edges of steep scarps, as seen in the image above, the rapid expansion of thawing CO2 can force ice, dust and soil off the cliff faces -- the Martian version of an avalanche. These cascades of frost fall hundreds of feet to the base of the cliffs, sending clouds of dust billowing outwards.
Such "avalanches" have been seen before on Mars, and they are another fantastic reminder that the Red Planet is still very much an active place!
The image here is a section of a HiRISE scan (ESP_025010_2650) acquired on Nov. 27, 2011. It was part of the February 2012 PDS release of over 400 new images of the Martian surface.
Image credit: NASA / JPL / University of Arizona. Edited by Jason Major.
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