Mars Express Detects Rapid Dark Patch Spreading Across Utopia Planitia
ESA's Mars Express images show a fast-growing dark ash blanket spreading across the Utopia Planitia basin, possibly from volcanic ash or winds removing ochre dust. The patch, made of mafic minerals like olivine and pyroxene, has expanded hundreds of kilometres in under 50 years, far quicker than typical Martian surface changes.