{"id":3417,"date":"2021-12-16T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=3417"},"modified":"2021-12-02T15:32:25","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T15:32:25","slug":"mars-arabia-terra-briefly-held-water-for-a-time-researchers-found","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/mars-arabia-terra-briefly-held-water-for-a-time-researchers-found\/","title":{"rendered":"Mars\u2019 Arabia Terra Briefly Held Water For a Time, Researchers Found"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our cosmic neighbor\u2019s been on quite a ride thus far; from being a target of imagination and scrutiny to being the prime destination for future space travelers, Mars has always been a source of great interest for humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve sent satellites and rovers out there, and perhaps humans are next on the launch itinerary too. We\u2019ve found evidence of early volcanism on its surface<\/a>, as well as the presence of outright organic molecules<\/a>. All in all, we don\u2019t seem to run out of new discoveries regarding our rust-red planet neighbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spirit, the fabled NASA rover which arrived there back in 2004, pictured this sunset photo inside the Gusev Crater\u2014the area where it landed all those years ago. Spirit\u2019s mission was concluded back in 2011 after it went radio-silent just a year prior. (NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover, 2005) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some new research from Northern Arizona University (NAU) and Johns Hopkins University (JHU) seems to add yet another entry to the developing long list of findings, as scientists there found traces of water on Mars\u2019 Arabia Terra<\/em>, a region that lies in the Martian north and is also regarded as one of the oldest regions on the planet\u2019s surface. The novel study, which follows in the footsteps of earlier findings about ancient flooding on Jezero Crater<\/a>, was published in the journal Geology<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were specifically interested in using rocks on the surface of Mars to get a better understanding of past environments three to four billion years ago and whether there could have been climatic conditions that were suitable for life on the surface,\u201d said NAU researcher and first author Ari Koeppel. \u201cWe were interested in whether there was stable water, how long there could have been stable water, what the atmosphere might have been like and what the temperature on the surface might have been like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These images taken inside Mars\u2019 Newton Basin showcase some narrow \u201cchannels\u201d that run from the top down to the bottom; while the Martian atmosphere is at present both too cold and too thin to support the presence of liquid water, scientists think it may have held water in a previous life, millions of years ago\u2014a statement now backed with the support of new findings from Koeppel and co-authors. (NASA) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The research team analyzed the Martian surface in this respect through the study of its surface temperatures. By operating on a concept known as thermal inertia<\/em>, scientists can use the rate in which surface features on Mars gain and lose heat to gain insights on how dense that particular patch of land is. The slower it loses its heat, the denser the surrounding surface rock is, or so the authors believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the help of satellites, Koeppel and team scanned Arabia Terra for temperature changes and evidence of erosion, as well as determining the conditions of nearby craters and the minerals that can be found in particular spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There, they found some interesting insights into Mars, in that Arabia Terra might not have had the chance to hold water for an extended period of time. Koeppel believes that while at first glance this might spell doom for anyone wishing to look for evidence of life in bodies of water that might not have stayed around for long, these results do bring with them more questions into Mars\u2019 past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koeppel continued: \u201cWhat are the conditions that could have allowed there to be water there for a brief amount of time? Could there have been glaciers that melted quickly with outbursts of huge floods? Could there have been a groundwater system that percolated up out of the ground for only a brief period of time only to sink back down?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koeppel and team believe there is much work to be done regarding their explorations into Mars, as they recognize that what they had just found was \u201cjust the tip of the iceberg.\u201d \u201c[We\u2019ve] been studying Mars for a few decades now, and at this point, we have a huge accumulation of data. We’re beginning to study it at levels that are comparable to ways we’ve been able to study Earth, and it’s a really exciting time for Mars science.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n