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sublimation-process

Ice sublimates under Martian atmospheric pressure, creating pitted and rotten surface textures on the ice walls.

1 chapter across 1 book

Red Mars (1992)Kim Stanley Robinson

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The explorers traverse a laminated, terraced Martian landscape and discover a massive glacier hill, a significant source of surface water ice, which extends as a ridge forming the walls of Chasma Borealis. They study the ice's physical properties and note the presence of both water ice and CO2 frost, realizing the abundance of water resources on Mars, including underground reserves. The chapter highlights the geological and environmental features of the ice formations and the implications for future water availability.