Planet Four Talk

Mountain Range?

  • Augris by Augris

    Is that some mountain range, or just some unknown odd thing?

    Posted

  • p.titchin by p.titchin

    hi Augris, no need to flap!! 😉 These are channels carved into the surface by the subliming CO2 under the ice ( 'spider channels') . Sun light largely passes through the translucent ice sheet and the dark surface heats up underneath the ice , and so the sublimation occurs more under the ice than on the surface, pressure builds, and blasts out these amazing channels. I expect one of the moderators will answer and pop in a link for you to read more. ~Pete.

    Posted

  • JellyMonster by JellyMonster

    Yes Pete is right - should look more like this... can you see the channels now?

    enter image description here

    Posted

  • Kitharode by Kitharode moderator

    JellyMonster has rotated the image by 180 degrees (so sunlight now comes in from top left). Apparently our brain likes this better and we're better able to interpret the image. The channels are several metres across and 'a few' metres deep (ish).

    Posted