EAS206 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Valles Marineris, Noachian, Tharsis Montes

77 views6 pages
Distance from Sun is 1.5x compared to Earth
Mars can tilt over itself quite significantly and has implications for its poles
MOLA
o MOLA laser altimetry = showing topography of Mars
Southern highlands
Older surface
Northern lowlands
Younger
o Hellas Planitia, Argyre Planitia, Chryse, Amazonis
Large impact basin
Low plain areas
o Terra = like highlands on Venus
o Olympus Mons
Largest volcano in the Solar system
o Tharsis Montes, Elysium Mons
Mountains are volcanoes
o Valles Manneris
4000 km valley
Thought that water has flowed out of the surface
Hemispheric Dichotomy
o Differences between the 2 halves of Mars
Heavily cratered southern highlands vs northern lowlands
o Fundamental problem in Mars geology
o Mechanism unknown
Leading hypothesis = GIANT IMPACT!
Polar caps = water and carbon dioxide ice
Dominant Geological Processes
o Volcanic Activity
o Crustal fracturing (Valles Marineris)
~Tectonic activity
o Hydrology (water/ice cycle)
Through channels, polar caps
o Wind deposition/erosion
Mars does have a core
o Significant amount of sulfur compared to the Earth
o Weak magnetic field
No active dynamo
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Unlock document

This preview shows pages 1-2 of the document.
Unlock all 6 pages and 3 million more documents.

Already have an account? Log in
o More data expected on the internal structure of Mars in near future with NSA
InSight Mission
o Crust has variable thickness
o Atmosphere
Originally from degassing but the atmosphere has become thinner over
time
Probably due to the gases from the upper atmosphere
o Do’t hae speifi saples fro the ertai hroologial ties of the Mars like
on the Moon
Geologic History of Mars
o Earliest Noachian
Magma ocean study of meteorites
o Noachian Epoch
Dendritic valleys
Something happening with the water
Oldest area
Cratering on Mars
o Central: 15 100 km
o Hellas
Filled i so do’t see the
multirings
o Rampart craters are unique to
Mars
Muddy flow
Early lava flows
o Analogous to Moon mare?
Dendritic valleys
o Denser atmosphere = LIQUID WATER STABLE**
** (LIQUID WATER NOT STABLE TODAY ON MARS)
o Cove characteristic
Water coming out beneath the surface and flowing out
(different from rainfall)
Earth = dissected terrain
o Do’t hae that o Mars
o Water is seeping out from the ground
o Early Hesperian
Patera
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Unlock document

This preview shows pages 1-2 of the document.
Unlock all 6 pages and 3 million more documents.

Already have an account? Log in

Get access

Grade+20% off
$8 USD/m$10 USD/m
Billed $96 USD annually
Grade+
Homework Help
Study Guides
Textbook Solutions
Class Notes
Textbook Notes
Booster Class
40 Verified Answers
Class+
$8 USD/m
Billed $96 USD annually
Class+
Homework Help
Study Guides
Textbook Solutions
Class Notes
Textbook Notes
Booster Class
30 Verified Answers

Related Documents