HiRISE: Erosion of the edge of the south polar layered deposits

ESP_013224_1080This oblique view of the sloping edge of the stack of icy layers over the South Pole has some interesting morphologies.

The slope appears to be eroding from a combination of landslides, block falls, and sublimation. The bright icy exposure in the larger landslide scar (upper right) suggests that this was a relatively recent event.

Small-scale textures over the scene are due to both blowing wind and the thermal expansion and contraction of shallow ice.

This entry was posted in Reports and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.