In New Scientist of 23 August 2003, in an article by David L. Chandler titled “All eyes on Mars,” some of the mysteries faced by experts were outlined.

“..Mars is proving more enigmatic than ever at the moment. The latest images of the Martian surface taken by NASA's orbiting Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) have revealed profoundly mysterious landforms that have left geologists scratching their heads. The features include a combination of surprisingly stable dunes, canyons without craters and rapidly eroding ice caps. All point to amazingly fast processes taking place on the surface. Mars has changed considerably in the past few thousand years - in some places, even the past two years. Yet nobody knows why. Unraveling the mystery will require a radical leap in theoretical thinking, says Michael Malin, the geologist in charge of the MGS camera.”