2 February 2004
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image provides a springtime view of defrosting processes on a surface that in summer would be a dark patch of sand. In winter, the sand is covered by frost (carbon dioxide and possibly water ice, as well). In spring, the sand develops a spotted pattern as the frosts sublime away. The sand patch is part of a dune field in Jeans Crater, located in the south polar region near 69.8°S, 206.6°W. The picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide; sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left.