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Astrobiology:
Latest News
2003-11-18 | SCIENCE
Delta-Like Fan on Mars Suggests Ancient Rivers Were Persistent
New images from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor may help settle a decades-long debate about whether the planet had long-lasting rivers instead of just brief, intense floods. The pictures show eroded, ancient deposits of transported sediment long since hardened into interweaving, curved ridges of layered rock. Scientists interpret some of the curves as traces of ancient meanders made in a sedimentary fan as flowing water changed its course over time. Such meanders in a river's course would prove that some valleys on Mars had flowing water for a significant amount of time.
The Mars Global Surveyor began orbiting Mars in 1997 and has since provided important information about the planet's atmosphere and interior. Surface images provided by its camera have helped researchers define the history of water on Mars and determine the best landing sites for the Mars Exploration Rovers, which are currently in transit to the planet. Understanding the environment of Mars is vital for establishing whether or not the planet could be a site for past or present life in our solar system.
Full text of original item
from NASA - JPL, Nov 18, 2003
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