Other Ice
Nightly Frost~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:The Themis Gallery of Martian Ice Caps. See more |
MGS MOC Gallery:Malin Space Science Systems - Mars Global Surveyor Orbitcal Camera Captioned Image Releases of Polar Caps, Frost. Go to the MSSS site |