Does the surface of Mars change? When inspecting yearly images of the Martian surface taken by the robot spacecraft Mars Global Surveyor currently orbiting Mars , sometimes new dark trails are visible. Although originally a mystery, the culprit is now usually known to be a dust devil , a huge swirling gas-cloud with similarities to a terrestrial tornado. Pictured above , a recent image has not only captured a new dark trail but the actual dust devil itself climbing a crater wall . Dust devils are created when Martian air is heated by a warm surface and begins to spin as it rises. Dust devils can stretch 8 kilometers high but usually last only a few minutes.
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Credit: Malin Space Science Systems , MGS , JPL , NASA