That Time Mars Was Like Iceland - The Cosmic Companion Jan 22, 2021
Ancient Mars may have resembled modern-day Iceland, at least around Gale Crater, a new study finds...
There was an era when Mars was like Iceland — exploring the ancient climate of the Red Planet
More than three billion years ago, Mars was home to vast oceans, and a new study shows this world may have once looked familiar — especially to the residents of Iceland.
The Curiosity rover has been exploring Gale Crater on Mars since 2012. That region may have resembled modern Iceland, careful examination of the geology of Gale Crater reveals.
Curiosity has been examining mudstones for more than eight years. However, that analysis can not reveal climatic conditions upstream from the sample, where the sediment was produced.
“Ancient rivers and streams on Mars physically and chemically altered the surface, then transported and deposited sediments, resulting in sedimentary rock production in downstream basins, as we observe in the remnants of Gale crater,” researchers describe in a paper published in JGR Planets.
Read more: https://thecosmiccompanion.net/that-time-mars-was-like-iceland
Join us on Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion, starting Tuesday, Jan. 26, when we will be joined by Dr. Kirsten Siebach of Rice University, talking about her work studying the ancient climate of Mars.
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