Mysterious stripes spotted over Russia in satellite images — and NASA is perplexed - Space.com

Near the Markha River in Arctic Siberia, the earth ripples in ways that scientists don't fully understand.

One possible explanation is written in the icy ground.

However, other examples of patterned ground — such as the stone circles of Svalbard, Norway — tend to be much smaller in scale than the stripes seen in Siberia.

Another possible explanation is erosion.

Geological Survey, told NASA that the stripes resemble a pattern in sedimentary rocks known as layer cake geology.

In accordance with the image above, this sort of sedimentary layering would stand out more in winter, when white snow rests on the flatter areas, making them appear even lighter.

The pattern fades as it approaches the river, where sediment gathers into more uniform piles along the banks after millions of years of erosion, Crafford added.

This explanation seems to fit well, according to NASA.