New discovery of ancient river supports theory that water once flowed on Mars
Source: Cleveland Leader
A team of scientists from the European Space Agency have reportedly discovered an ancient riverbed on Mars, which is just the latest piece of evidence to support the theory that water once flowed across the Martian surface. The photos were taken last year, and were released late on Thursday by the ESA.
ESA officials made the announcement on Thursday that they have discovered an ancient riverbed carved into the Red Planet's surface. The images were taken by the ESA's Mars Express, and have left astronomers around the world stunned as this may be the most definitive evidence to date that supports the theory that water once flowed on Mars.
The area, which is known as Reull Vallis, contains a river-like channel that likely formed billions of years ago. The channel, which is 1,500-km in length, is lined with tributaries that look to resemble tributaries found on Earth. Interestingly, the river is as wide as 4 miles at some points. Astronomers say that at some points the river is nearly 1,000 feet deep, and may be one of the most geologically important features on Mars.
Scientists speculate that due to the depth of the channel, the riverbed was once occupied by water and large chunks of ice. According to geologists, water likely flowed through Reull Vallis between 3.5 to 1.8 billion years ago during a time known as the Hesperian period. Further research is needed to confirm the age of the channel.
Read more: http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/19890
abq e streeter
(7,658 posts)and stopped prayer in schools. NOW look at 'em....
Qutzupalotl
(14,334 posts)paleotn
(17,989 posts).. I guess ole Lowell and Schiaparelli were right after all. Well, sort of.
LongTomH
(8,636 posts)2on2u
(1,843 posts)of the ark.... or not.
formercia
(18,479 posts)If it was as old as they say, there should be an even distribution of Impact Craters on the surface.
daleo
(21,317 posts)Unless all of the impact craters in the photo are extremely ancient.
joshcryer
(62,277 posts)If you look at the area, this is the only swath of "land" / "geography" that is un-obscured by meteorite impacts. This is an astounding find. It's fairly short, the rest of the area is just peppered and unconvincing as a "riverbed." They literally spotted something that was uncharacteristic of the overall landscape.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)to know if there are any ancient fossils in that seabed, even if they were tiny crusty micro organisms. If life came from the sea, or from a River, the answer would be there.