Mar 10 2000
From The Space Library
In an article in the journal Science, a team of researchers led by Maria T. Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that they had found compelling evidence that Mars once had a wet climate. According to Zuber, "Evidence is building of more water on the surface of Mars at one time." The researchers had used the laser measurements taken by Mars Global Surveyor to reach their conclusions. Although Zuber indicated that scientists did not yet have enough evidence to determine whether Mars once had a surface ocean, the study did find large, buried channels beneath the planet's crust, suggesting that an enormous flow of water once deluged the landscape. The researchers had also found further evidence of two distinct "crustal provinces" on Mars, similar to those on Earth. The team estimated that Mars's crust was 50 miles (80 kilometers) thick beneath the planet's southern highlands, but only 22 miles (35 kilometers) thick beneath the northernmost areas of the planet. By using Surveyor's data to analyze thoroughly the topography of the planet, the research team had also drawn the conclusion that Mars had once been home to more water than ice. The variety of landmasses suggested that, for a period, the planet's core had released heat, turning ice trapped beneath Mars's surface into water. As one newspaper described the formative events estimated to have taken place approximately 4 billion years ago, "It steamed and streamed. '892
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