Martian Canyons May Have Been Carved By Wind

Posted by samzenpus on Monday March 9, 2015 @08:08AM from the blowing-through-the-canyon dept.

sciencehabit writes Ancient canyons scar the surface of Mars, a relic from a time billions of years ago when rivers flowed on its surface. But water may not be the only factor that shaped these canyons—the wind whipping through them could be just as important, according to a new study of river canyons on Earth. Scientists studying chasms in the Andes mountains in northeast Chile have found that wind carves some canyons 10 times faster than water. The discovery may be significant for understanding how much water flowed on the surface of ancient Mars.

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Re:Umm by rwven · 2015-03-09 08:19 · Score: 2

It probably compares pretty well when you consider the speed at which water flows on mars... :-P
Electricity. by o_ferguson · 2015-03-09 08:34 · Score: 2

It's pretty obvious that Mars was primarily carved by arc discharge.

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Re:Just how warm was Mars surface back then by Capt.Albatross · 2015-03-09 09:08 · Score: 2

that water could flow on it?
And what accounts for the difference in surface temperature, given that Mars's orbit didn't shift by that much?
Loss of most of its former atmosphere.