Evidence Of Glaciers On Mars Suggests Recent Climate Activity

Last year, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured high-resolution images of the Red Planet which showed many mesas, valleys, and rock debris which appeared to be (geologically speaking) recent formations. A team of scientists from Brown University analyzed the photographs and found evidence that the terrain was carved by large glaciers much more recently than they thought possible. Climate activity on Mars was thought to have quieted over 3 billion years ago, but these glaciers would have been around within the last 10-100 million years. "The finding could have implications for the life-on-Mars argument by strengthening the case for liquid water. Ice can melt two ways: by temperature or by pressure. As currently understood, the Martian climate is dominated by sublimation, the process by which solid substances are transformed directly to vapor. But ice packs can exert such strong pressure at the base to produce liquid water, which makes the thickness of past glaciers on its surface so intriguing."

Comments

So that's where the Glaciers have gone...

[Anonymous Coward]

They've all migrated to Mars.

It's an inconvenient truth...

So that's where all the glaciers have gone...

[Anonymous Coward]

This proves the existence of Martians...

Who else could have caused global climate change?

It's an inconvenient truth...

Where was Al Gore when Mars needed him?

[vortex2.71]

Where was Al Gore when Mars needed him? Guess it is too late to bring back the glaciers now. Damn Martian SUVs!

Re:Where was Al Gore when Mars needed him?

[Anonymous Coward]

Al Gore was too busy driving a hybrid taxi in New York City in the not-too distant future.

Re:Where was Al Gore when Mars needed him?

[ppanon]

Silly. Al Gore wasn't born yet.

John McCain on the other hand, could have done something but instead accepted the claims of martian corporate lobbyists that evidence for martian climate change was inconclusive.

Re:Where was Al Gore when Mars needed him?

[IHateEverybody]

Ahhh but don't you see? It was all Al's fault. The Martians listened to him and believed his Powerpoint presentation. So they cut back on green house gases until the planet froze in a perpetual ice age! And now he wants to do it to us! If we cut back on green house gasses, the glaciers will grow and polar bears will migrate south to eat our women and children. We have to stop this environmentalism crap or all we'll all be killed and turned into Bear Chow.

I blame the SUV's

[Anonymous Coward]

Now they are affecting other planets! we all have to stop driving them, they are killing the dolphins, and now the martians, this could start an interplanetary war!

Re:Trolls are too fast

[Valdrax]

Let me make the obvious point that this news is in no way an argument against anthropogenic climate change, not in the least because they're talking about events that are MILLIONS OF YEARS OLD. Bull. Everyone smart enough to know that climate change isn't caused by mankind knows that the universe isn't more than a few thousand years old.

Re:next Mars probe lands on May 25, 2008

[techno-vampire]

It has a back-hoe arm

How much do you want to bet that within the first week it will cut a fiber-optic line and cut part of the Martian backbone?

Re:global warming

[BiggerIsBetter]

It's okay. When it gets too bad we'll just migrate to another planet, like we did last time...

Re:global warming

[Lars T.]

it has to be man made. the sun and natural effects couldn't possibly change the weather! Nope, it was Martian made, and they died out 100 million years ago because of it. Repent, sinners, for you repeat the sins of GOD's first try!