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Mars versus Earth
Today:• ErosionNext Unit:• Volcanoes• Faults and Boundaries• Other Landforms
Big Ideas:» Rates of Change» The story of water and carbon
Our knowledge of the solar system is changing
Space travel is changing
Our knowledge of Mars is changing
Volcanoes• Olympus Mons– Largest volcano in solar
system
Mons vs. Everest
Conclusion
• Martian volcanoes show that Mars has (or once had) a molten core.
• The shape of Martian volcanoes shows that Mars’ convective layer moves slower than Earth’s.
• Martian volcanoes do not form in bands.• Mars does change, but it changes much more
slowly than Earth.
Tectonics of Mars
• Tekton – builder• Tectonic theory: the Earth is divided into plates,
which are constantly moving• Boundary: where two tectonic plates hit each
other
Mars is scored with faults, caused by tension in its crust.
However, the tension in the Martian crust has never been enough to cause it to entirely break
• Mars– The northern
hemisphere is uniformly low and smooth
– Giant volcanoes! – Lots of craters! – Deep cracks where the
crust has broken– The same all over
• Earth– Bumpy continents– Volcanoes in strings and
rings – Brand-new rocks, craters
have been reprocessed – Huge variety of landforms
at boundaries
Conclusion
• Unlike Earth, Mars is not covered with moving plates.
• It once was.• Mars does change, but it changes much more
slowly than Earth.
Water on Mars
Deformation Bands of Mars and Earth(precursors of faults)
"This study provides a picture of not just surface water erosion, but true groundwater effects widely distributed over the planet," said Suzanne Smrekar, deputy project scientist.
Martian pack ice (a)Earth’s Antarctica (b)
Counting of craters indicates Martian pole melted 20 million years ago. Liquid water once existed on the surface of Mars.
Erosion of Earth and Mars
• Layered Mesas (and their formation)
• Mass Wasting• Canals: wind or
water?
Martian Winds
"We're seeing what look like smaller sand bedforms on the tops of larger dunes, and, when we zoom in more, a third set of bedforms topping those," said HiRISE co-investigator Nathan Bridges of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "On Earth, small bedforms can form and change on time scales as short as a day."
• Mars had liquid water at its surface• Mars is subject to dust storms with fantastic
winds
WHICH IS ERODING THE SURFACE OF MARS????
Hebes Chasma: Grand Canyon of Mars
Martian Avalanche
Essay:The above picture displays an alluvial fan-like structure. What planet is it found on, and how was it formed? Give evidence for your argument.
