New images of Mars' south polar region reveal striking and unusual colors, including shades of pink, purple, and red, highlighting a feature called Thyles Rupes. This icy, rocky formation has cliffs that rise over 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) above the surface. The region's overall blueberry-purple color results from a mix of dust and frost. Lighter, bluish areas, such as those found in craters, are covered in frozen carbon dioxide, also known as dry ice. Even during springtime, when this image was taken, this material remains frozen near the south pole. The pale patch on the lower left of the image is part of the south polar cap, which never fully melts. However, a seasonal cap of carbon dioxide frost expands and shrinks with the changing seasons. The region's appearance shifts throughout the day due to factors like airborne dust, soft morning light, frost on the ground, and a mix of ice and dust. In addition, various types of dunes are visible in the image, including barchanoid ridges—arc-shaped dunes commonly found in Earth’s deserts that have two "horns" facing downwind. Thyles Rupes, which stretches for hundreds of kilometers, resembles Earth’s mountain ranges in its formation. On Earth, mountains form when tectonic plates push against each other. However, Mars lacks tectonic activity and is a single-plate, stagnant-lid planet. Scientists believe Thyles Rupes formed as the planet’s interior cooled over time, causing the crust to contract and certain areas to be pushed upward. This process is different from the tectonic forces that shape Earth's landscapes. Orbiters such as the European Space Agency’s Mars Express, equipped with advanced cameras, have captured detailed images of various regions on Mars. Over the past two decades, Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have continuously provided images of the planet's surface. Volcanic activity has spread darker material across the Martian landscape, which is rich in minerals like olivine and pyroxene. These minerals are also common in Earth's mantle. Olivine is composed of magnesium, iron, and silicate, while pyroxenes are a group of silicate minerals primarily made of silicon and oxygen, found in Earth's upper mantle as well.