Super geysers pepper Martian south pole

Published on Monday 21 August 2006 00:52

POWERFUL gas geysers that blast material hundreds of feet into the air have been discovered on Mars.

The jets of carbon dioxide erupt from layers of ice at the Martian south pole, spraying the surrounding area with fine dark sand.

They are the explanation for mysterious dark spots, fan-like markings and spider-shaped features on the ice cap, say scientists.

Sunlight warming the ice turns frozen carbon dioxide underground into high-pressure gas which shoots through narrow vents at 100mph.

Dr Phil Christensen, from Arizona State University, said: "If you were there, you'd be standing on a slab of carbon dioxide ice."

Dr Christensen led the team operating a special camera called the Thermal Emission Imaging System on the Mars Odyssey probe now orbiting Mars.