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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

Houston Geological Society Bulletin

Abstract


Houston Geological Society Bulletin, Volume 15, No. 8, April 1973. Pages 1-1.

Abstract: Previous HitGeologyTop of Mars

By

Elbert A. King

The first looks at the Martian surface that were obtained by unmanned spacecraft gave us the impression that the planet looked very much like the Moon. Later detailed imagery of virtually all of the Martian surface obtained by the Mariner 9 Spacecraft, has demonstrated that Mars is a unique planet in the Solar System. Permanent polar caps of carbon dioxide, immense volcanoes and calderas, huge rift (?) valleys, sinuous rilles, atmospheric water vapor and water ice clouds together with large surface sand dune fields make the planet a much more exciting body than was previously thought. It appears that there may have been an abundance of water on the Martian surface at some time in the past and large deposits of permafrost may still be present. Wind blown sediments are constantly shifting on the surface and changing the albedo of various areas on Mars. The new findings about Mars make the possibility of life on the planet, or possibly fossils, even more likely than was previously hoped for by the scientific community.

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