PIA02183: A Matter of Time
This image from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a portion of the south polar residual cap where the effects of sublimation are apparent. Over extended periods of time, sublimation eats away at the smoother appearing material.
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) 
 Spacecraft:  Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter
 Instrument:  Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) 
 Product Size:  2048 x 2616 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1375  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA02183.tif (5.363 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA02183.jpg (949.8 kB)  

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

16 February 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of the south polar residual cap where the effects of sublimation are apparent. Over extended periods of time, sublimation "eats" away at the smoother appearing material (largely composed of frozen carbon dioxide), darkening the scarps and creating the irregularly shaped depressions that are present throughout much of the scene.

Location near: 87.1°S, 69.3°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season: Southern Summer

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/ASU

Image Addition Date:
2006-02-16