scinerds: First Look at Mars’ Ocean We knew there was water in abundance in Mars, but we never saw its ocean. This is it, as uncovered by strong new evidence found over the course of two years by the MARSIS radar on board ESA’s Mars Express. Before this discovery, scientists suspected what could have been the shorelines of such ocean. However, this is the first time that this Mars’ ocean has been shown in all its magnitude. According to ESA, Mars Express “has detected sediments reminiscent of an ocean floor within the boundaries of previously identified, ancient shorelines on Mars.” The sediments are low-density granular material that have been eroded away by water. They have low radar reflectivity, and were detected through all the ocean’s area, 60 to 80 meters (197 to 262 feet) under the surface of the Red Planet. According to ESA’s Mars Express Project Scientist Olivier Witasse, there’s little doubt now that there were oceans there now. But the biggest question of them all remains a mystery: “Where did all the water go?”

scinerds:

First Look at Mars’ Ocean

We knew there was water in abundance in Mars, but we never saw its ocean. This is it, as uncovered by strong new evidence found over the course of two years by the MARSIS radar on board ESA’s Mars Express. Before this discovery, scientists suspected what could have been the shorelines of such ocean. However, this is the first time that this Mars’ ocean has been shown in all its magnitude. According to ESA, Mars Express “has detected sediments reminiscent of an ocean floor within the boundaries of previously identified, ancient shorelines on Mars.”

The sediments are low-density granular material that have been eroded away by water. They have low radar reflectivity, and were detected through all the ocean’s area, 60 to 80 meters (197 to 262 feet) under the surface of the Red Planet.

According to ESA’s Mars Express Project Scientist Olivier Witasse, there’s little doubt now that there were oceans there now. But the biggest question of them all remains a mystery: “Where did all the water go?”

(via ikenbot)

06 Feb 2012 at 07:12pm
via Gizmodo
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