The image to the left shows the context of where these avalanches occurred

all images are false color

Material, likely including fine-grained ice and dust and possibly including large blocks, has detached from a towering cliff and cascaded to the gentler slopes below

The largest cloud (upper images) traces the path of the debris as it fell down the slope, hit the lower slope, and continues downhill, forming a billowing cloud front. This cloud is about 180 meters (590 feet) across and extends about 190 m (625 ft) from the base of the steep cliff

it is extremely rare to catch such a dramatic event in action

The scarp in this image is on the edge of the dome of layered deposits centered on Mars’ north pole

The upper, steepest section, which appears highly fractured due to blocks pulling away from the wall, is the likely source zone for the falls

trigger mechanism is not yet known