3-D Images Show Mars was Once Flooded

Mars has experienced catastrophic flooding in the last 500 million years, according to an analysis of images sent by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The images have given scientists a 3-D view of water channels below the planet's surface.

Mars is considered to have been arid during the past few centuries. The recent findings of water canals give a better understanding of climate on the Martian surface during such dry conditions.

"Our findings show the scale of erosion that created the channels previously was underestimated and the channel depth was at least twice that of previous approximations. This work demonstrates the importance of orbital sounding radar in understanding how water has shaped the surface of Mars," said Gareth Morgan, a geologist at the National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies in Washington and lead author of the paper.

The water channels lie in the Elysium Planitia, which is the region along the plains of the Martian Equator. Many volcanic events have taken place in the Elysium Planitia and this is the reason why Mars' geological history was never discovered in this region. The length of the water channel called Marte Vallis is about 620 miles long. The length, width and depth of the channel system was studied using MRO's Shallow Radar (SHARAD), NASA said in a news release.

Marte Vallis is much like another ancient structure on Mars called Chryse basin. Researchers are uncertain whether or not large volumes of underground water shaped these channels, because lava from volcanoes has been known to make similar structures.

The findings have been reported in the journal Science Express.      

The research team was able to get a 3-D view of the channels using the SHARAD radar. Analysis of the images showed that there were two different phases of the channel formation, with a series of branches along with deep and wide main channels.

"While the radar was probing thick layers of dry, solid rock, it provided us with unique information about the recent history of water in a key region of Mars," said Jeffrey Plaut of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., and co-author of the study.