Some seasonal ice on Mars is transparent so that the sunlight penetrates to the bottom of the ice. Heat from this sunlight can turn the ice directly into a gas in a process called sublimation and this gas can scour channels in the loose dirt under the ice.

Channels formed by sublimation of a layer of seasonal dry ice are so dense in this area that they look like lace. Gas flow erodes channels as it escapes to the surface of the overlying seasonal ice layer seeking the path of least resistance.

ID: ESP_046414_0990
date: 21 June 2016
altitude: 246 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_046414_0990
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #science #NASA