An analysis of radar images that peered inside the polar ice caps of Mars shows that Earth's neighbor is coming out of an ice age that is part of an ongoing cycle of climate change, scientists said on Thursday.
The Martian ice began its retreat about 370,000 years ago, marking the end of the last ice age, according to the research published in the journal Science.
Using images taken by satellites orbiting Mars, the researchers determined that about 20,872 cu. miles (87,000 cu. km) of ice has accumulated at its poles since the end of the ice age, mostly in the northern polar cap.