Mars Express Spots Dark Ash Creeping Across the Red Planet

ESA’s Mars Express captured a November 9, 2024 image showing a dark blanket of volcanic ash creeping over Mars near Utopia Planitia, contrasting with NASA’s 1976 Viking views. Scientists suggest the ash spread could be wind-driven or the dust covering it has been removed, indicating surface change over decades. The feature sits above ice beneath the surface and includes scalloped depressions that hint at periglacial processes, underscoring Mars’ volcanic history and ongoing landscape evolution mapped by Mars Express since 2003.