Ancient Ocean of Mars Bolstered by Map

An new innovative computer program has been used by scientists from Northern Illinois University [NIU] and the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston to add to the growing body of scientific eveidence that the planet Mars had an ancient and significant ocean of water.

Martain regions that are most densely dissected by the valley networks roughly form a belt around the planet between the equator and mid-southern latitudes, consistent with a past climate scenario that included precipitation and the presence of an ocean covering a large portion of Mars' northern hemisphere. The NASA-funded computer model study is being published in the current issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research — Planets.

"All the evidence gathered by analyzing the valley network on the new map points to a particular climate scenario on early Mars," NIU Geography Professor Wei Luo said. "It would have included rainfall and the existence of an ocean covering most of the northern hemisphere, or about one-third of the planet's surface." More from Lab Spaces.