Could massive floods on Mars have caused climate change? New 3D maps suggest the red planet suffered major upheaval
Worldwide, Daily news | ankakh | March 8, 2013 14:02Scientists have discovered evidence of massive flooding on Mars billions of years ago.
New maps of the subsurface of Mars show for the first time buried channels below the surface of the red planet.
Mars is thought to have been cold and dry over the past 2.5 billion years, but the channels suggest evidence of flooding, the scientists say.
They are now investigating whether such floods could have induced climate change.
The channels were found in Elysium Planitia, an expanse of plains along the equator, and the youngest volcanic region on the plane.
The 3D maps were constructed using data from the shallow radar on board the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.
Geologist Gareth Morgan, at the National Air and Space Museum’s Centre for Earth and Planetary Studies, said ‘The source of the floodwaters suggests they originated from a deep groundwater reservoir and may have been released by local tectonic or volcanic activity.
The study is published in the journal Science.
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