New theory suggests Mars’ oceans formed earlier and intermittently
Scientists have proposed a new model for the existence of oceans on Mars’ northern plains that proposes they formed earlier, were shallower, were variable in size, and formed in conjunction with the eruptions that formed the planet’s giant volcanoes.
The proposal by UC Berkeley geophysicists links the existence of oceans early in Mars history to the rise of the solar system’s largest volcanic system, Tharsis, and highlights the key role played by global warming in allowing liquid water to exist on Mars. “Volcanoes may be important in creating the conditions for Mars to be wet,” said Michael Manga, a UC Berkeley professor of earth and planetary science and senior author of a paper appearing in Nature this week and posted online March 19.
…The new model proposes that the oceans formed before or at the same time as Mars’ largest volcanic feature, Tharsis, instead of after Tharsis formed 3.7 billion years ago. Because Tharsis was smaller at that time, it did not distort the planet as much as it did later, in particular the plains that cover most of the northern hemisphere and are the presumed ancient seabed. The absence of crustal deformation from Tharsis means the seas would have been shallower, holding about half the water of earlier estimates. “The assumption was that Tharsis formed quickly and early, rather than gradually, and that the oceans came later,” Manga said. “We’re saying that the oceans predate and accompany the lava outpourings that made Tharsis.”
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Scientists have proposed a new model for the existence of oceans on Mars’ northern plains that proposes they formed earlier, were shallower, were variable in size, and formed in conjunction with the eruptions that formed the planet’s giant volcanoes.
The proposal by UC Berkeley geophysicists links the existence of oceans early in Mars history to the rise of the solar system’s largest volcanic system, Tharsis, and highlights the key role played by global warming in allowing liquid water to exist on Mars. “Volcanoes may be important in creating the conditions for Mars to be wet,” said Michael Manga, a UC Berkeley professor of earth and planetary science and senior author of a paper appearing in Nature this week and posted online March 19.
…The new model proposes that the oceans formed before or at the same time as Mars’ largest volcanic feature, Tharsis, instead of after Tharsis formed 3.7 billion years ago. Because Tharsis was smaller at that time, it did not distort the planet as much as it did later, in particular the plains that cover most of the northern hemisphere and are the presumed ancient seabed. The absence of crustal deformation from Tharsis means the seas would have been shallower, holding about half the water of earlier estimates. “The assumption was that Tharsis formed quickly and early, rather than gradually, and that the oceans came later,” Manga said. “We’re saying that the oceans predate and accompany the lava outpourings that made Tharsis.”
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
New theory for the formation of the Moon.
http://www.moondaily.com/reports/The_moon_formed_inside_a_vaporized_Earth_synestia_999.html
We need more data. To believe there were large oceans once, there needs to be core samples taken to establish salt and sea floor settlement layers. Northern Mars should look more like the great salt flats in western Utah and Nevada. Even if covered in dust from billions of years, there should be more obvious evidence.
What we’ve learned so far is consistent with Mars been covered with frozen CO2, methane, and other gases like Europa and other outer moons. Think of the “ice caps” probably once covered the entire planet at one time in the distant past. Mars being closer to the sun, it’s almost all just evaporated away …
BSJ
This is one of the oldest theories on how our moon formed. When they analyzed the moon rocks and found them to be the same substance as the earth, this was the simplest solution they could imagine. It seems to have been remastered with modern touch. Unfortunately the same age old problem still stands. How do you get a large massive object to achieve escape velocity without turning it into a ball of rapidly expanding plasma…
In other words, if the earth had 1/4 more mass (which means more gravity), it would have been even harder for any rock to suddenly jump up and zoom in to orbit. If you hit a ball with a bat, the ball moves and it’s shape is only slightly altered. To achieve escape velocity the ball will be vaporized. Or better yet, hit a water balloon with the bat… Or in this case “hot plasma” would be affected the same as a bat swinging in the air to nock the atmosphere in to space.
I’m not saying that it is impossible, the Sun does it all the time. I just don’t see any of the material from the Sun creating new hot planets.
Sure, the current leading theory is a mars sized object colliding with the earth. If we ever find a celestial body that has the same spectral/atomic composition as the earth, then we found the culprit because the exchange of mass/material. (like our moon)
It would be missing most of its crust on one side having its core exposed (like our moon)
If the impact was slow enough, a glancing blow, both planets would have survived the encounter. Perhaps the collision was slow enough that Thea would have lost enough momentum to be captured by the larger planet (like our moon)
The temperatures in such a collision would be hotter than a supernova. Particularly at the center of impact were heavy metals and exotic substances would form from great heat and pressure exploding into the surrounding rock to be deposited on the surface of the earth. This not only explains the existence of radioactive materials in the crust, this also explains why we have continental drift.
Are we made from star stuff? I don’t know, but the evidence suggest we are made mostly from moon stuff…