Brain Terrain

In this high-resolution image snapped by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on August 23, mysterious lobes of pure water ice dubbed "brain terrain" appear at the base of a frozen hill on the red planet.

Recent studies suggest that large glacial deposits in the Martian northern hemisphere, where these bizarre swirly ice features are located, may have undergone multiple thermal expansions and contractions since their formation over 100 million years ago.