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

next Mars probe lands on May 25, 2008

[peter303]

Phoenix lands at the Martian arctic circle to poke around the icy soils there. It has a back-hoe arm and sophisticated chemical analyzers, but no wheels. It will last until the end of the year until the pole region enters the long winter night.

Re:next Mars probe lands on May 25, 2008

[CraftyJack]

Ice is the goal. There's no such thing as "too icy" here. The scoop has a rasp on the end of it that will be used to grind some of the icy soil into the scoop. The robotic arm will then dump those ice shavings into the analysis instruments (TEGA and MECA).

Solar forcing or new climate model required?

[SockPuppet_9_5]

This should be one of those "back to the drawing board" moments for Mars climatology. How can you explain a change ice remaining so far south and then disappearing in the last 500 million years? A "Milankovitch styled wobble" might be one explanation, or perhaps good old fashioned solar forcing. But Earth is closer and would be subject to the same flux in any solar forcing.

Re:SLASHDOT SUX0RZ

[casualsax3]

Malicious link, avoid.

Did you see the pictures?

[Anonymous Coward]

Liquid water was already proven to exist on mars. Photographic evidence showed flows lines that did not exist in 1 photograph existing in another. Can we please put this to rest once and for all? There is water on mars, and yes its in liquid form, and yes, somehow it surfaces and flows without evaporating right away.

Re:Did you see the pictures?

[JetJaguar]

Umm... No. The current presence of liquid water has not been confirmed. The best evidence that we've found so far is actually not inconsistent with a dry flow down a steep hill. The flows could still be water, and that can't be ruled out. However, it has not been confirmed.

The fact is, all of us really want there to be liquid water on Mars, it will be a major break through if and when it happens. However, no matter how tantalizing the images are, they still don't confirm the presence of water....yet.