An ancient northern ocean on Mars may have existed, according to a new set of topography maps. The maps present the most compelling evidence to date that the planet’s current harsh, frozen landscape is not what it once looked like and that sea levels rose in accordance with an extended period of warm, humid weather.<\/p>\n
“What immediately comes to mind as one the most significant points here is that the existence of an ocean of this size means a higher potential for life,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
according to Benjamin Cardenas, lead author on the recently published study.<\/p>\n
It also reveals information about the development of the ancient climate. These results indicate that there must have been a time when the temperature was high enough and the atmosphere was dense enough to support this much liquid water.<\/p>\n
An Ancient Northern Mars Ocean<\/h2>\n
Cardenas says that scientists have been talking about whether or not Mars’s low-lying northern hemisphere has an ocean for a long time. Using topography data, the research team was able to show that a shoreline that was about 3.5 billion years old had a lot of sediment that was at least 900 meters thick and covered hundreds of thousands of square kilometers.<\/p>\n