From the highest volcano of the solar system to the mouth of a billion -year -old pit, Mars possess many massive and impressive geological structures that can reveal the history of the red planet.
Olympus Mons
Olympus Mons mountain takes from satellites. Image: Wikimedia
As the largest volcano system, Olympus Mons has a height of 21.9 km. Located in Western Hemisphere of Mars, between the Tharsis volcano and Amazonis Planitia, Olympus Mons is nearly 3 times higher than Mount Everest. Olympus Mons is a volcano shielded from lava streams accumulated over billions of years. Many scientists agree to the volcano began to form in the Hesperian period of Mars, 3 – 3.7 billion years ago.
Different from the volcano on Earth, Olympus Mons continues to grow because there is no assist on Mars. This means that lava is not moved but accumulated in one place. The legs of Olympus Mons spread nearly 600 km wide, equivalent to the width of Italy or the Philippines. This mountain itself revealed that Mars had been active in the past.
Valles Marineris
Valles Marineris is a giant canyon system, which is the largest of the solar system. It is about 4,000 km long, 10 times more than a large canyon in the US and 5 times more than. If Valles Marineris exists on Earth, it will be longer than the United States.
Located near the equator of Mars, Valles Marineris was formed by the planet on the planet. Over time, landslides, erosion and ancient water can increase the width and depth of the valley. The canyon consists of a number of sections deep to 7 km. With the ancient stone layer, it provides clues of geological history, climate and water on the red planet in the past.
Hellas Planitia
Map of Hellas Planitia and surrounding area. Image: NASA
Hellas Planitia is one of the largest and deepest collision tanks. It is located in the southern hemisphere of Mars, about 2,300 km wide. It also marks the lowest score on Mars, reaching 7 km deep under the surrounding surface. Researchers suggest that Hellas Planitia developed about 4 billion years ago, during the Noachian period when a massive planet crashed into the planet.
During this time, Mars experienced a disaster called Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB), the time when the asteroid bombarded in the early solar system. The scientists hypothesized the Hellas Planitia theory was later shaped by volcanic, wind, ice and water. Due to its depth, Hellas Planitia possesses more atmosphere than most locations on Mars. This leads to larger air pressure with fog sometimes appearing in the area.
Gale hole mouth
Gale’s mouth is the huge collision hole on Mars with a diameter of 154 km. Scientists estimate it dates to 3.5 – 3.8 billion years. A top hypothesis that the Gale hole mouth is the result of a large comet or asteroid stabbing into Mars during the Noachian period or Hesperian head.
The center of the Gale pit contains Sharp mountain (Aeolis Mons), a 5.5 km high mountain made of sedimentary rock. Scientists speculate that the existence of sedimentary layer is evidence of ancient lakes. Sulfate and mineral sediments show that liquid water has existed in the mouth of Gale, creating living conditions for bacteria.
NASA’s Curiosity self -propelled robot has been actively exploring the Gale pit mouth since 2012. Its mission include researching the stone layers of the Gale pit and searching for organic compounds. Since landing, Curiosity has supported scientists to identify many stages during Mars that transformed from warm planets and moisted into today’s dry world.
Utopia Planitia
The topography of Utopia Planitia is taken from the 2 -year 2 -year amphibious ship. Photo: Photo: NASA
Utopia Planitia is a large plain inside Utopia, the largest collision tank is recognized on Mars and in the Solar System. Located in the northern hemisphere of the planet, it has an estimated diameter of 3,300 km, greater than the total area of Alaska and Texas.
Scientists estimate Utopia Planitia is about 3.5 billion years old, corresponding to the transfer phase between the two periods of Noachian – Hesperian on Mars. After the aircraft around the Mars Reconnaissance (MRO) was found to be buried under the planet’s surface, the scientists said that Utopia Planitia could contain a giant ocean or river mine.
Night to labyrinth
Noctis Labyrinthus is a network of canyons and valleys on Mars located between Tharsis and The Valles Marineris. It stretches 1,190 km and looks like a maze. The Noctis Labyrinthus valley has a depth of up to 5 km and revealed ancient Mars.
Scientists believe that this structure is also shaped by past water activities, erosion due to wind and landslides. The hydration minerals were detected through observations from orbit showed the existence of liquid water in the past. The complex geology of Noctis Labyrinthus comes with the possibility of an ancient lake that is a key goal to explore the future.