[1] When snow melts or sublimates, the sediments are redeposited onto the surface below.,[2] forming patterns known as denivation features.
[5] Beneath the surface, the deposits commonly consist of alternating layers of snow and sediment.
The prolonged denivation process also creates a source of fresh water, in the otherwise extremely dry dune and beach environment, for months after all surface snow has melted.
[10] Proposed terrestrial analogs for these Martian landscapes include the Victoria Valley in Antarctica and the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes in Alaska.
After all the snow or ice has melted or sublimated, continued wind action gradually destroys them.