Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Space
Why in News?
A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal Icarus reconstructs evidence of a significant ancient flood event on Mars.
- New study – The flood is believed to have originated from the Valles Marineris canyon system.
- Researchers estimate that the flood released approximately 1,245 trillion cubic metres of water.
- This event may have increased the global mean level of the hypothesised ancient Martian ocean by approximately 34 metres.
- The study employed two-dimensional hydraulic modelling to reconstruct the flood and assess its potential impact.
- Valles Marineris – It is a gigantic canyon system on Mars.
- It is the largest canyon system in the Solar System.
- The canyon extends for more than 4,000 kilometers.
- It is situated broadly along the equatorial region of Mars.
- Researchers believe that Valles Marineris once contained extensive bodies of water, including paleolakes.
Paleolake refers to an ancient lake that existed during the geological past but no longer persists in its original form.
- On Mars, evidence for the presence of ancient water includes the following features:
- Ancient valleys
- Lake basins
- Sedimentary deposits
- Delta-like landforms
- Channel systems
Oceanus Borealis denotes a hypothesized ancient ocean that is proposed to have covered portions of the northern lowlands on Mars.
Reference
The Hindu | Valles Marineris Flood
