October 15, 2008--A frosty cap of white ice near the red planet's north pole covers an impact crater in deposits only a few million years old--quite young by Martian standards.

The pristine ice itself may be only 10,000 years old.

The non-circular crater seen at image center is unusual in shape and may have been deformed by the flow of underground ice.

Shading from crater walls may enable the ice cap to survive though the surrounding terrain is bare.