Catch a glimpse of ‘mysterious markings’ on Mars surface. Find out what it is

A bizarre picture, which was clicked and shared by the High-Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows polygon-shaped markings on the surface of the red planet. This mysterious phenomenon has come up as Mars witnesses spring season. The photograph depicts a network of patchworks of white zig-zags on the surface of the planet at high latitudes. It also shows occasional sprays of black and blue mist forming between these patchworks.The polygons form when the water ice, which is frozen in the soil, splits it apart. In spring, the edges of these polygons crack as the surface ice transforms into gas due to sublimation, as per the researchers of the University of Arizona, which manages the spacecraft in Martian orbit.

In a statement, the HiRISE team said, "Erosion of the channels forming the boundaries of the polygons by dry ice sublimating in the spring adds plenty of twists and turns to them."

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The layer of translucent dry ice, which covers the surface, develops vents to allow gas to escape. This gas also carries fine particles of material from the surface to further erode the channels.

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"The particles drop to the surface in dark fan-shaped deposits. Sometimes, the dark particles sink into the dry ice, leaving bright marks where the fans were originally deposited," the University added.

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(With inputs from agencies)

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