Valles Marineris on Mars is an enormous set of valleys; so big in fact, that it is visible from Eart
Valles Marineris on Mars is an enormous set of valleys; so big in fact, that it is visible from Earth with simple backyard telescopes (great viewing right now!). In 2012, there was a particularly interesting hypothesis for its formation put forward by professor An Yin of UCLA While studying satellite images from mars Yin noticed a circular structure bisected by the Valles Marineris which was suggested to be consistent with a transform fault like those found on Earth and indicative of large, tectonic-like motions. Yin believes that Mars is in a primitive stage of tectonics and that it gives us insight on how tectonics may have began on early Earth. However, new research presented at the 2014 Lunar and Planetary Science conference argues against this story. Scientist Christina Viviano-Beck used the CRISM instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Spacecraft to look at minerals found on each wall of the canyon and found, in many places, the sequences of minerals match up precisely from one side of the canyon wall to another. This evidence strongly argues against Valles Marineris having any transform motion and instead suggests that it is most likely a rift system.-NFhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120809155831.htmhttp://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/4/4/286.abstract -- source link
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