ESA\u2019s Mars Express<\/a>, equipped with a German-built High-Resolution Stereo Camera, snapped the initial images in June 2022. A few months later, NASA\u2019s orbiter followed up with more views using its HiRISE camera. Both sets of photos focused on the Australe Scopuli region<\/a> near the planet\u2019s southern ice cap. As reported by the Economic Times<\/a>, the CO\u2082 ice sheet here can be up to 8 meters thick and stays frozen year-round.<\/p>\n On top of that ice lies a patchwork of dark dust, picked up and moved across the surface by subtle but powerful Martian winds. Over time, this dust becomes part of a visual signature that tells scientists when and how the ice has changed. The contrast between light and dark areas is striking, and also informative.<\/p>\n Eruptions Beneath The Ice Create Bizarre Surface Patterns<\/p>\n While the surface might look like a peaceful frost-scape, it\u2019s actually being shaped by pressurized gas jets just beneath the ice. Here\u2019s how it works: in the Martian summer, sunlight begins warming the carbon dioxide ice from below. <\/p>\n \u201cThe CO2 ice does not melt. Instead, it goes back from solid to gas directly in the atmosphere. That leads to the formation of really unique surface features,\u201d explained Sylvain Piqueux<\/a> of NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.<\/p>\n Since the gas can\u2019t escape right away, it builds up until it bursts through, carrying dust into the thin atmosphere before it drifts back down in twisting streaks. This process, as explained by the Space.com<\/a>, is responsible for the swirling dark patterns seen in the imagery. They aren\u2019t fixed, they change with the seasons, depending on the location and timing of the gas\u2019s escape.<\/p>\n Seasonal Frost Keeps Martian Dunes In Check<\/p>\n![\"Captured](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Captured-from-above-by-NASAs-Mars-Reconnaissance-Orbiter-these-Martian-dunes-in-the-northern-hemisph.webp\")
Captured from above by NASA\u2019s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, these Martian dunes in the northern hemisphere. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/University of Arizona<\/p>\n![\"These](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/These-swirling-formations-of-carbon-dioxide-ice-at-Mars-south-pole-were-photographed-by-ESAs-Mars-Ex.webp\")
These swirling formations of carbon dioxide ice at Mars\u2019 south pole were photographed by ESA\u2019s Mars Express orbiter. Credit: ESA\/DLR\/FU Berlin<\/p>\n