High-resolution pictures taken with HiRISE reveal that some of the surfaces of lineated valley fill are covered with strange patterns called closed-cell and open-cell brain terrain.
[13] The study of lineated valley fill and other features related to debris-covered ice has been greatly aided by the abundance of data received from Mars orbiting instruments.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Shallow Radar gave a strong reflection from the top and base of LDAs, meaning that pure water ice made up the bulk of the formation (between the two reflections), strong evidence that the LDAs in Hellas Planitia are glaciers covered with a thin layer of rocks.
[9][14][15] Studies of LDAs and LVF give evidence that there have been multiple episodes of glaciation on Mars, including ones that produced glaciers nearing a kilometre in thickness.
LVF and other ice-related forms are collectively known as fretted terrain, which includes winding and straight valleys with isolating plateaus and mesas.
[22] Studies of lineated valley fill have added evidence that the climate of Mars has undergone many large changes in the past.
Understanding lineated valley fill and other manifestations of buried ice will allow future colonists to find sources of water.