A regional landscape near Mars' south pole is called "cryptic terrain"
because it once defied explanation, but new observations bolster and
refine interpretations of how springtime outbursts of carbon-dioxide gas
there sculpt intricate patterns and paint seasonal splotches. This map
indicates locations of three sites that have been examined within the area
of cryptic terrain, informally designated "Manhattan," "Giza" and "Ithaca."
The underlying map offers context of brightness measurements from the
Thermal Emission Spectrometer instrument draped over a shaded relief map
based on data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter instrument. Cool
colors are areas with a low albedo (dark) and warm colors are areas which
have high albedo (bright). Both of those instruments flew on NASA's Mars
Global Surveyor orbiter.
