When the frozen carbon dioxide melts in the summer, in the Martian landscape they reveal characteristic signs. They are known as “Araneidoform area” because they look like spiders when seen from space. Some of these forms of spiders resembling spiders are more than a kilometer, and some have hundreds of legs. They are often in swarms. The above photo was taken by Mars’s reconnaissance orbiter while viewing the southern hemisphere in 2009.
The processes that create these spider formations are not fully understood, although JPL is working on imitating Mars temperatures and pressure to recreate them.
The appearance of Spring to Mars also brings sturdy winds and it is believed that the characteristic spiral pattern of the northern hat of Mars was created for many years by blowing winds from the center of the cap on its periphery. The spiral pattern is due to the Coriolis effect, i.e. when the planet’s rotation bends the wind of winds.
Darker parts of the spiral are actually deep canyons, which have been cut out for a long time by spring winds. Chasma Boreale, which is apparent on the right side of the polar hat in the picture, is particularly spectacular. It is as long as a enormous canyon (about 450 kilometers) and up to 2 kilometers deep.
Forceful spring winds also move dunes on a Martian surface, just like winds in deserts on earth.
White things you see in the picture are frost surrounding elevated dunes that remain immobile during freezing. When the temperatures rise in spring and this ice melts, the dunes will begin to move again because of the wind.
“As we have seen, the beginning of Spring On Mars is very active. You can even say “explosive” – says Damiga. “I imagine that it would be very raucous, and things burst and explode.”
This story originally appeared Wired Japan And it was translated from Japanese.