[1] Deuteronilus region lies just to the north of Arabia Terra and is included in the Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

It is along the dichotomy boundary, that is between the old, heavily cratered southern highlands and the low plains of the northern hemisphere.

[4] Recent evidence from the radar on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has shown that parts of Deuteronilus Mensae do indeed contain ice.

[13] Furthermore, at this high tilt, stores of solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) sublimate, thereby increasing the atmospheric pressure.

[12] When the tilt begins to return to lower values, the ice sublimates (turns directly to a gas) and leaves behind a lag of dust.

[16][17] The lag deposit caps the underlying material so with each cycle of high tilt levels, some ice-rich mantle remains behind.

Places on Mars that display polygonal ground may indicate where future colonists can find water ice.

[26][27][28][29] Remnants of a 50–100 meter thick mantling, called the upper plains unit, has been discovered in the mid-latitudes of Mars.

[31][32] Large areas of the Martian surface are loaded with ice that is protected by a meters thick layer of dust and other material.

[33][34] In a short time, the ice will disappear into the cold, thin atmosphere in a process called sublimation (phase transition) .

Periods of high tilt will cause the ice in the polar caps to be redistributed and change the amount of dust in the atmosphere.