The landscape on Mars is similar to a honeycomb. The unusual features are the result of seasonal change from water ice and carbon dioxide.

Polygonal dunes on Mars, as seen by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona

Since 2006 the HiRISE camera has seen a lot of shapes on Mars. Water and carbon dioxide in dry ice help sculpt Mars' surface at high latitudes, according to the science team from HiRISE. There is water ice in the ground. When the ground warms in the spring, dry ice sublimating from just under the surface creates more erosion.

The near- surface ice contracts and expands over time.

Spring fans and polygons on Mars, as seen by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona.

The blue fan-shaped features show more springtime activity in this area. Scientists say a layer of dry ice on the surface allows gasses to escape.

Fine particles of material from the surface are carried along by the gas. The particles fall to the surface. The fans are left with bright marks when the dark particles sink into the ice. As the wind changes, we can see two or more fans from the same spot but in different directions.

Detailed image of large-scale crater floor polygons, caused by desiccation process, with smaller polygons caused by thermal contraction inside. The central polygon is 160 metres in diameter, smaller ones range 10 to 15 metres in width and the cracks are 5-10 metres across. Credit: NASA/JPL

Scientists study the ground on Mars because of the features that help them understand the past and present distribution of ices.

There are other places with polygons. There are polygons on Earth in the north and south, as well as on the dwarf planet.

In the center left of Pluto’s vast heart-shaped feature – informally named “Tombaugh Regio” – lies a vast, craterless plain that appears to be no more than 100 million years old, and is possibly still being shaped by geologic processes. This frozen region is north of Pluto’s icy mountains and has been informally named Sputnik Planum (Sputnik Plain), after Earth’s first artificial satellite. The surface appears to be divided into polygon-shaped segments that are ringed by narrow troughs. Features that appear to be groups of mounds and fields of small pits are also visible. This image was acquired by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on July 14 from a distance of 48,000 miles (77,000 kilometers). Features as small as one-half mile (1 kilometer) across are visible. The blocky appearance of some features is due to compression of the image. Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
Mars Reconnaissance OrbiterMarspolygonsdry ice
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