Scientists have a new theory on Mars and the huge crater on the Red Planet. A closer look at this crater has scientists saying that Mars used to have a massive ocean on its northern hemisphere and an asteroid impact managed to create a planet-sized mega-tsunami.
It’s already a popular fact that experts have been debating for a long time whether liquid water has ever flowed on Mars’ surface.
This new analysis argues that Mars was once home to an ocean and The New York Times says it was roughly as deep as the crater is wide.
NYT notes that “A new study, published last month in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, suggests that a 75-mile-wide impact scar in the Martian northern lowlands is to the red planet what the Chicxulub crater is to Earth: the mark of a meteor that generated a mega-tsunami when the planet was relatively young.”
The publication also notes that if this is accurate, the finding adds evidence to the hypothesis that Mars once had an ocean, and would have implications for humans search for life on the Red Planet.
Mega-tsunamis with skyscraper-high waves
It’s been also reported that some features of the crater can only be explained by the presence of a liquid ocean on Mars.
It’s been said that the cliffs nearby and other features that are present on the now-dry surface of Mars look like they used to be riverbeds and coastlines that have been shaped by some pretty massive waves.
NYT writes that “Additional evidence includes hints of mangled, buried coastlines visible from orbit; these suggest that mega-tsunamis with skyscraper-high waves inundated parts of Mars’s northern shores around three billion years ago.”
Even though it’s definitely too early to conclude what Mars used to look like or whether it hosted life, this new study is a fascinating one.
I have been blogging and posting articles for over eight years, but my passion for writing dates back in 2000. I am especially enthusiastic about technology, science, and health-related issues. When I’m not researching and writing the latest news, I’m either watching sci-fi and horror movies or checking out places worth visiting and building deep memories for later in life. I believe in empathy and continually improving myself.