Formations that look like jumbo-sized kidney beans (or blobs of chocolate syrup, depending on your palette) may be indicators ...

A NASA satellite has spotted frozen "kidney beans" on Mars' sand dunes trapped in place until springtime. Photographing them ...

By imaging the dunes, scientists can figure out how much CO2 frost forms on the dunes during the Martian winter. When ...

"Scientists think that ice moves around as the tilt of Mars' axis changes," said Dundas, "but for ice to accumulate near the equator requires much wetter conditions." ...

The amount of frost depends on the tilt of Mars on its axis. How much it tilts towards or away from the sun affects temperatures in its northern and southern hemisphere during certain times of year.