The canyon-like scars which line Mars' crust are seen by many as evidence for liquid water. But a study now suggests that a different kind of fluid – one much less hospitable to life – may actually have carved these features.
On Mars, the most striking topography occurs around the equator. The planet’s low latitudes are dominated by the Tharsis plateau, which hosts several towering volcanoes. Not far off sits the solar system’s largest – Olympus Mons. Near the Eastern fringe, however, things start to get deep.
There the land dives into a winding maze of valleys and river-like “outflow channels”, the former including the 4000km-long Valles Marineris – the “Grand Canyon” of Mars – which exceeds its terrestrial namesake in every dimension. These great gouges are widely thought to have been formed, at least in part, by flowing water. But according to recently published research, they could have had a very different genesis, linked to the volcanoes to the West.
On Mars, the most striking topography occurs around the equator. The planet’s low latitudes are dominated by the Tharsis plateau, which hosts several towering volcanoes. Not far off sits the solar system’s largest – Olympus Mons. Near the Eastern fringe, however, things start to get deep.
There the land dives into a winding maze of valleys and river-like “outflow channels”, the former including the 4000km-long Valles Marineris – the “Grand Canyon” of Mars – which exceeds its terrestrial namesake in every dimension. These great gouges are widely thought to have been formed, at least in part, by flowing water. But according to recently published research, they could have had a very different genesis, linked to the volcanoes to the West.
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https://theconversation.com/lava-not-...