Public domain
Spring in Inca City I
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Every winter a layer of carbon dioxide ice-or, dry ice-condenses in the Southern polar region, forming a seasonal polar cap less than 1 meter deep. Early in the spring the ice layer begins to sublimate (going directly from a solid to gas) from the top and bottom of the ice layer. Under the ice gas pressure builds up until a weak spot in the ice layer ruptures. The gas rushes out and as it escapes it erodes a bit of the surface.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineSpring in Inca City I. NASA/JPL, 2014-11-13. Public domain. ID: PIA18892.
