What are Martian “spiders” and why do they represent essential climate cues?

Since 2004, the Mars Express mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) has been coordinated. Facts about the Red Planet Related to its atmospheric composition and three-dimensional mapping of its surface.

Published by ESA liberation In it they illustrate new images of an old invention: Carbon Dioxide “Spiders” At the south pole of Mars. These strange shapes are the result of heat CO2 ice reservoirs This happened during the Martian winter. As the sun begins to raise the temperature of the area in the spring, the snow begins to turn into a gas gives pressure In the upper layers. This is the result A geyser-like eruption It leaves a dark residue in a concealable area 45 meters to 1 kilometer Broad.

This entire process creates A dark underground spider-shaped crack On ice not raised by eruptions, visible from above. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), another ESA explorer, managed to capture images showing them. Great detail, Mars Express showed more points than anything else. Its presence means that carbon dioxide is below the release and behaves and manifests temperature effect At the south pole of Mars.

They were first discovered several years ago, but were not managed by experts until 2021 Find out the reason for its formation. Since then, they have been closely observed by missions to Mars, and have now been reached. High quality images It exposes the fractures below the ground.

event Does not occur at the North Pole of the planet that continued to deepen the gap between the two polar caps. Due to the characteristics of the orbit it maintains around the Sun, the southern part Get more energy In the same season it is from the star during its summer than the northern part.

“Spiders” spread long distances over mountains and large plateaus. But most of the noticeable ones are located on the outskirts of the region “City of the Incas”.

It was discovered by NASA's Mariner 9 probe in 1972 and got its name due to the similarity of the network of valleys and ridges. Inca ruins. They are arranged to form a category An almost geometric network On the surface of Mars. It is located inside a crater 86 kilometers in diameterSo scientists suspect that the impact of a large meteorite caused the faults in the extension of the land.

Its possible appearance varies Magma Sands that seep between layers of soil and turn into stone are called dunes or formations “Eskars” They are the result of accumulation of manufactured goods Ancient glaciers.

The landscape visible by ESA space missions includes surprising features such as spirals and plateaus on Earth. More than 1500 meters high Made of hard materials, both of these are caused by erosion from wind, water or snow, experts believe.

From ESA they say, “Mars Express has revealed a lot about Mars over the past two decades. orbit It continues to take pictures of the Martian surfaceMapping its minerals, studying the composition and circulation of its atmosphere, studying its crust and the Martian environment.

These tasks will be carried out in the future Reveal hidden mysteriesClimatic characteristics and special phenomena of Mars Very different For any observable phenomenon on Earth.

Knowledge of these findings can be expanded Different types of environments Starting with the study of the solar system, the universe as a whole.