prev
Preview
Metadata Image
AssetID : 33695513
Headline : Massive Avalanche Spotted On Mars
Caption : A massive avalanche has been spotted on Mars.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter documented the fall of ice on the planet caused by the warmth of the Sun.

On Tuesday (3 Sep), the University of Arizona highlighted the spectacle captured by the orbiter's HiRise camera on 29 May 2019.

University of Arizona’s Candy Hansen explained:

“Every spring the sun shines on the side of the stack of layers at the North Pole of Mars known as the north polar layered deposits. The warmth destabilizes the ice and blocks break loose.

“When they reach the bottom of the more than 500 meter tall cliff face, the blocks kick up a cloud of dust. (In the cutout, the top layer of the north polar cap is to the lower left.) The layers beneath are different colors and textures depending on the amount of dust mixed with ice.”
PersonInImage :