Mars was once hit by a flood of unimaginable proportions, says a new study

21:53 GMT 25.11.2020Get the short URL

The fourth planet from the Sun is the second most studied planet after Earth, yet astronomers are still discovering something new. The researchers, who conducted the study, say their findings could answer the question of whether the Red Planet ever gave birth.

A new study by scientists from Jackson State University, Cornell University, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Hawaii found that the Red Planet was flooded at an unimaginable rate some 4 billion years ago.

“We first identified the megafloods using detailed debris data observed by Rover Curiosity,” said Alberto G., visiting astronomer and co-author of the study at the College of Arts and Sciences. Pharaoh said. “Deposits abandoned by megafloids have not previously been identified using orbiter data.”

The researchers came to this conclusion after examining data from the Curiosity rover, which has been studying the surface of the Red Planet since 2012, based on the results of a study published in the Journal of Scientific Reports on November 5. The rover specifically studied Gail’s crater and its debris. Geographical features are a way to navigate through time and see how water, wind and other factors have affected the planet.

Curiosity often refers to the giant wavelength characteristics of Gail’s crater as “megariples”. According to the study, these “megaripples” are a sign that they once flowed through the gale crater in Mars’ equator.

But how did all this water appear on Mars?

Researchers say the heat caused a meteor to hit the red planet. In addition to melting hot ice on Mars, the collision also releases carbon dioxide and methane from the planet’s frozen water reservoirs. These gases caused hot, humid conditions on the red planet, creating heavy rains, which may have occurred in all parts of Mars.

Alberto G. Pheron says the study suggests that the presence of liquid water on the surface of Mars had to be supported in the early days. “So early Mars was a habitable planet. Was it inhabited? That’s the tenacity of the next rover… it will help answer that, ”Pheron said.

The Perseverance Rover was launched in July and is expected to reach the Red Planet in February 2021. Astronomers hope the rover will study the climatic processes that have made Mars uninhabitable, its surface structure and the Red Planet. Life hosted at some point. The agency hopes the rover will help prepare for a humanitarian mission to Mars.