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LLong ago, when our solar system was young, Mars was a world teeming with water. Researchers at Cornell University have now found evidence of an ancient massive mega-flooding on the Red Planet.
Gale Crater, explored by the Curiosity rover, has provided data showing distinct signs of a titanic flood some four billion years ago. This finding could provide further evidence that March once had a favorable climate for the development of primitive life.
“We identified mega-floods for the first time using detailed sedimentological data observed by the Curiosity rover. The deposits left by the mega-floods had not previously been identified with the data from the orbiter ”, Alberto Fairén, visiting astrobiologist at Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences, said.
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Ripple in fast water …
Ancient geological features seen on Mars by the Curiosity rover show megarpples, or antidunes, nearly 10 meters (30 feet) high in the sedimentary layers. These waves are placed about 140 meters (450 feet) apart.
Ezat Heydari, professor of physics at Jackson State University, points out that similar features, created just two million years ago, are known on Earth. On our own planet, these characteristics are created by the melting of the ice.
“Indicative flood features are a series of symmetrical 10m high gravel ridges that occur in the Hummocky Plains (HPU) unit. Their regular spacing, internal sedimentary structures, and bed transport of fragments as large as 20 cm suggest that these ridges are antidunes: a type of sedimentary structure that forms under very strong flows, ”Heydari and his team report in an article detailing their study published in Scientific reports.
He will never survive this heavy bom-bard-a-ment …
The Noachian period on Mars, lasting about 4.1 billion years (BYO) to 3.7 BYO, roughly corresponds to the era of the late heavy bombardment of our solar system. This period was marked by massive and frequent collisions between planets and objects, large and small, crossing the solar system. This period also marks the moment when March was, literally, inundated with water.
Researchers believe these megaripples are the result of heat generated by a massive impact on Mars in the distant past. Such an impact would have released large amounts of carbon dioxide, water vapor and methane beneath the surface of Mars, warming the red planet for a short time.
Water vapor rising in the Martian atmosphere would have formed water clouds, much like those on Earth. These conditions, in turn, led to torrential rains that may have engulfed the Red Planet.
Gale Crater would have been inundated by water flowing into the basin, including a torrent that rushes down the steep slope of Mount Sharp.
The water south of the crater, heading north, was at least 24 meters (nearly 80 feet) deep, moving at 10 meters per second (20-25 MPH), the study concluded.
Massive flash floods would have deposited the gravel ridges seen by Curiosity in the Hummocky Plains unit and the striated unit. These wave-like, wave-like band formations in the ground dominate large areas of Arizona.
My name is Henry Gale! I’m from Minnesota!
Sitting near the Martian equator, Gale Crater was formed over 3.5 billion years ago in a titanic explosion, when March was hit by a massive asteroid. Named after Australian astronomer Walter F. Gale, this Martian crater stretches 154 km (96 miles) from side to side.
On August 5, 2012, the Mars Science Laboratory (commonly known as the Curiosity rover) landed at the foot of a mountain layered on the floor of Gale Crater.
This robotic explorer discovered that Gale Crater housed large bodies of water, which lasted for a significant period of time before Mars lost surface water into space and hid underground deposits of brine.
“There was an ocean above us, held up by a thin bag that could rupture and drop a flood at any time.
– Stephen King, different seasons
Near the center of the crater is Mt. Sharp, a crescent-shaped formation of sedimentary rock 5 km (three miles) in diameter. This peak, named in honor of geologist Robert Sharp, is higher than Mt. Rainier. Massive canyons of March seen on Mt. Highlights include the Grand Canyon of Gale Crater, two thousand meters (6,500 feet) wide and nearly 90 meters (300 feet) deep.
“The start of Mars was an extremely geologically active planet. The planet had the necessary conditions to support the presence of liquid water on the surface – and on Earth, where there is water, there is life. So early on, Mars was a habitable planet. Was it inhabited? That’s a question the next Perseverance rover… will help answer, ”said Fairén.
We hope that the mysteries of this Martian mega-flood will be answered when NASA The Perseverance rover, launched on July 30, reaches Mars on February 18, 2021.
This article was originally published on The cosmic companion through James maynard, founder and publisher of The Cosmic Companion. He was born in New England and became a desert rat in Tucson, where he lives with his lovely wife, Nicole, and Max the Cat. You can read this original piece here.
Astronomy news with The Cosmic Companion is also available as a weekly podcast, broadcast on all major podcast providers. Tune in every Tuesday for updates on the latest astronomical news and interviews with astronomers and other researchers working to discover the nature of the Universe.
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