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Other Ice

Nightly Frost
Key

~80° & N exists a Permanant H2O Cap.

~50° & N during the Winter Season, one can find a seasonal cap of predominately CO2 mixed with trace amounts of H2O.

When the CO2 sublimates in Spring, a H2O lag follows the cap edge, subliming within days.

The Icy Regolith is a region from ~60° & N that shows frozen H2O in the top meter of soil.

CO2 frost condenses nightly at high elevations in the Tharsis Region

~85° & S (0° to 90° W) is the Permanent H2O cap. It has a venier of CO2 that remains most summers.

~45° & S during the Winter Season, the Southern Cap extends N. It is CO2 with trace amounts of H2O

Like the Northern Hemisphere, at ~60° & S, there exists an Icy Permafrost of frozen H2O in the top meter of soil.

Legend for Identifying Colors:
H2O (Water) Ice CO2 (Dry) Ice Icy Permafrost

Have a Question about Mars Ice?

Check out the Frequently Asked Questions or the Glossary.

Image galleries of ice on Mars polar caps:

Themis Gallery Sample

Themis Gallery:

The Themis Gallery of Martian Ice Caps. See more


MOC Gallery Sample

MGS MOC Gallery:

Malin Space Science Systems - Mars Global Surveyor Orbitcal Camera Captioned Image Releases of Polar Caps, Frost. Go to the MSSS site