Evidence for the abundance of water on Mars now and in the past

Journal Article · Tue Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1989 · Earth in Space; (USA)

OSTI ID:5337686

Clifford, S M; Greeley, R; Haberle, R M ^[1]

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1. Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX (USA)

This paper discusses evidence for the abundance of water on Mars early in its history, based on the analysis of the Viking 1 and 2 images and the Martian-atmosphere water measurements. It is argued that integrated networks of small valleys in the ancient cratered terrain of Mars may indicate that the planet once possessed a warmer climate. It is pointed out that most Martian outflow channels originate from the regions of collapsed and disrupted terrain, suggesting that they were formed by a catastrophic release of groundwater. The question of the fate of Martian water is discussed, and arguments are presented suggesting that the Martian crust may retain significant porosity to a depth of 10 km and may possess a total pore volume sufficient to store a global layer of water 0.5-1.5 km deep.

• OSTI ID: 5337686
• Journal Information: Earth in Space; (USA), Journal Name: Earth in Space; (USA) Vol. 1; ISSN 1040-3124; ISSN EARSE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ABUNDANCE
ATMOSPHERES
CAVITIES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CRATERS
ELEMENTS
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IMAGES
MARS PLANET
MORPHOLOGY
NONMETALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
PLANETARY EVOLUTION
PLANETS
POROSITY
SOLAR SYSTEM EVOLUTION
SPACE VEHICLES
SURFACES
VEHICLES
VIKING SPACE PROBES
WATER