deep buried glaciers spotted on mars
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

On The Red Planet

Deep, buried glaciers spotted on Mars

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Deep, buried glaciers spotted on Mars

Buried glaciers have been spotted on Mars
Miami - Arab Today

Buried glaciers have been spotted on Mars, offering new hints about how much water may be accessible on the Red Planet and where it is located, researchers said Thursday.

Although ice has long been known to exist on Mars, a better understanding of its depth and location could be vital to future human explorers, said the report in the US journal Science.

"Astronauts could essentially just go there with a bucket and a shovel and get all the water they need," said co-author Shane Byrne of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson.

A total of eight ice sites, some as shallow as a few feet (one meter) below the surface, and going as deep as 100 meters or more, have been exposed by erosion.

These underground cliffs, or scarps, appear "to be nearly pure ice," said the report.

The discovery was possible due to images and data sent by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), launched in 2005.

The probe's first find of water on Mars was published in Science in 2010.

- Widespread ice -

But now, scientists realize that ice is more widespread than previously thought, said lead author Colin Dundas, a geologist at the US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona.

"There is shallow ground ice under roughly a third of the Martian surface, which records the recent history of Mars," he said.

"What we've seen here are cross-sections through the ice that give us a 3-D view with more detail than ever before."

The ice contains bands and color variations that suggest it was formed layer by layer, perhaps as snow accumulated over time, leading to ice sheets.

Researchers believe the ice formed relatively recently, because the sites appear smooth on the surface, unpocked by craters that would be formed by celestial debris smashing into the planet over time.

But just how and when they formed remains unclear.

The cliffs are located in the northern and southern hemispheres of Mars, at a latitude of 55 to 58 degrees, which on Earth would be similar to Scotland or the tip of South America.

These regions slip into a frigid darkness during the Martian winter and would not be a suitable site for a long-term human camp.

However, they are not as treacherous as the poles, and if a sample could be drilled from one of the glaciers, researchers could learn plenty about Mars' climate and the potential for life on Earth's neighboring planet.

"If you had a mission at one of these sites, sampling the layers going down the scarp, you could get a detailed climate history of Mars," said MRO deputy project scientist Leslie Tamppari of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"It's part of the whole story of what happens to water on Mars over time: Where does it go? When does ice accumulate? When does it recede?"

NASA plans to send the first human explorers to Mars by the 2030s

arabstoday
arabstoday

GMT 05:16 2017 Sunday ,20 August

The history of solar eclipses

GMT 17:12 2017 Monday ,07 August

Al-Shawaifi reveals secrets of total solar eclipse

GMT 13:38 2017 Monday ,06 March

Prepares to give stargazers an eyeful

GMT 06:31 2015 Thursday ,04 June

Pluto's unruly moons

GMT 13:12 2015 Saturday ,09 May

Sheikh Sultan opens Sharjah Centre

GMT 10:26 2015 Wednesday ,07 January

Sun may determine lifespan at birth
Arab Today, arab today

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

deep buried glaciers spotted on mars deep buried glaciers spotted on mars

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

deep buried glaciers spotted on mars deep buried glaciers spotted on mars

 



GMT 13:26 2017 Thursday ,02 March

Nadal, Djokovic advance in Acapulco

GMT 07:42 2012 Friday ,17 August

Princess Lalla Amina dies

GMT 00:51 2012 Friday ,27 January

Weather Proof Outdoor Furniture

GMT 14:05 2017 Friday ,17 February

All Blacks' legend Carter 'sorry' for drink-driving

GMT 19:21 2017 Sunday ,12 February

Syrian Army units kill dozens of Daesh suicides

GMT 08:45 2017 Saturday ,08 April

Khatib receives Fayad

GMT 09:50 2017 Sunday ,29 October

Bayern boss hopeful Lewandowski can face Celtic

GMT 19:53 2017 Friday ,15 September

Thomas Cook partners with Expedia for hotel sales

GMT 21:39 2017 Tuesday ,08 August

McDonald's to nearly double outlets in China

GMT 17:53 2018 Tuesday ,30 October

Fallen heroes of Arab media

GMT 10:45 2018 Friday ,21 September

King Hamad congratulates Armenian President

GMT 08:18 2018 Wednesday ,12 September

PM saddened over demise of Begum Kalsoom Nawaz
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday