Earthlike Mars? Options

[glennwsmith]

All, I know this isn't the right place for this post, but I've looked around and can't find an appropriate, current UMSF forum (Doug, perhaps you could give me some guidance on establishing such) -- so here goes: I think a [the] new paradigm for Martian geology is rapidly coalescing, namely, that Mars is very much like the Earth in terms of the preponderance of water -- except that it is all frozen, and covered under a thin layer of dust/regolith! See, for example, this article:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/41995902.html

Hence the "seepages" found in crater walls; hence the evidence of catastophic flooding -- the result of volcanism melting huge pockets of ice. And I am going to add my own wrinkle (probably not original): that the differentiation of Mars into a rougher southern hemisphere and smoother northern hemsphere represents something like Earth's Pangea stage, ie, the northern hemisphere is a vast frozen sea covered with a thin layer of ice.

[glennwsmith]

Here's an interesting reference (on an interesting site) to Oceanus Borealis (about halfway down the page):

http://oklo.org/2006/12/

[stewjack]

For those who wanted to watch the NOVA show Is There Life on Mars? produced by PBS; the full show is now freely available for streaming in six "chapters." ( 1 Hour show )

QuickTime or Windows Media Player streaming formats are provided.

NOVA: Is There Life on Mars?

You won't get a review from me. No way!