active hydrologic cycle tagged posts

This is a depiction of Mars today and what a warm and wet ancient Mars might have looked like. Credit: Wei Luo, Northern Illinois University

Findings suggest Mars had ocean, active hydrologic cycle. A new study led by Northern Illinois University geography professor Wei Luo calculates the amount of water needed to carve the ancient network of valleys on Mars and concludes the Red Planet’s surface was once much more watery than previously thought. The study bolsters the idea that Mars once had a warmer climate and active hydrologic cycle, with water evaporating from an ancient ocean, returning to the surface as rainfall and eroding the planet’s extensive network of valleys.

Satellites orbiting Mars and rovers on its surface have provided scientists with convincing evidence that water helped...