[SunkenCiv]

They say aurora, I say impact.

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[laweeks]

I think Brian Williams is already reporting on this.

[KoRn]

An impact makes the most sense to me(simplest explanation). Should be easily proved by looking for a crater in that area.

[seawolf101]

[Boogieman]

I doubt it is impact related, since it seems to be happening in the same area with some regularity.

I also don’t think this could be an aurora though, because Mars has a very weak magnetosphere, and besides, auroras are upper atmosphere phenomena, while this seems to be directly in contact with the surface.

My best guess is some type of massive venting, possibly from ice near the polar caps sublimating. The most detailed photo does really look like the venting we see on some of Jupiter’s moons, with multiple venting sites located close together.