This amazing image shows a lot of interesting periglacial landforms, as well as beautiful aeolian features and seasonal frost clouds. It was taken in southern spring, the time when the ice starts to retreat, leaving only a small residual ice cap at the south pole. During the Martian seasonal cycle, carbon dioxide ice is deposited at the poles in winter. The amount of atmosphere deposited as ice at each pole in winter and then sublimating in the springtime is enormous, reaching at least 12-16% of the atmosphere of the planet. This process leads to strong pressure changes and, as a consequence, to very high wind speeds.