Strange white structures

• by SamZane

  Is this ice? Rock? Or what?

  Posted May 21, 2013 4:58 PM

• by wassock moderator

  Hi there, we are reading the dark as the surface and the white bits as ice/snow/frost but it's not quite as simple as that. This is a spring image so we should be looking at a layer of ice on top of the surface which is transparent,so you see the surface through it, with the white 'frosting' on top of the ice.

  Posted May 21, 2013 11:45 PM

• by mschwamb scientist, translator

  I took a quick look at the full HiRISE image and it looks like it's frost in most places on top of the ice, you can see whitish fans. I think the description of what's going on is similar to what Candy posted here.

  Cheers,

  ~Meg

  Posted May 22, 2013 8:44 AM