14 DAY TRIAL // Over the past decade, evidence of water on Mars has amounted to impressive quantities, especially after a constant flow of readings was achieved from the various probes and observers NASA currently has on or around the Red Planet. Astronomers have managed to determine for sure that the Martian northern and southern poles host even at this present moment impressive stretches of ice, which are hidden under a protective layer of rocks and sand. Now, new studies focus on several intricate networks of small channels, which seem to prove that water indeed circulated on the planet millions of years ago.
Experts at NASA say that the small ditches on the side of some of the most important craters on the planet were most likely created by flowing waters, following a heating of the planet's atmosphere. That is to say, before that time, water could only be found as ice, on top of the planet's tallest mountains.
Following a progressive heating of the atmosphere, the glaciers began to melt, and all the water they contained started moving downwards, towards the bottom of the craters, creating intricate networks of channels in the process. These now-rocky formations closely resemble those found on Earth.
Familiar rock formations drew the attention of astronomers in various pictures relayed back by observers around Mars. They hypothesized that the erosion marks they noticed on the Martian rocks could have only been carved out by flowing water, over a prolonged period of time.
They also said that in some of the deepest and largest craters ice was still flowing under the rocks, and that it was slowly evaporating into the planet's thin atmosphere. They further showed that it was possible for the ice to sublimate directly into gas, without having to go through the familiar liquid form.
A thorough analysis of more than 250 craters throughout the planet revealed that some of them had higher numbers of geological features resembling those carved by water in a single wall, which at the time seemed peculiar. But now, they have figured out the mystery. Apparently, Mars' rotational tilt registers a variation of approximately 60 degrees in millions of years, as opposed to the 4 degrees recorded on Earth. This means that, at some point, the sun light only reached a specific crater wall, and that the ice on it melted faster than that on other walls.
However, the craters themselves are between 1 and 10-million years old, which makes them very young, geologically speaking. Researchers are now hopeful that future Mars missions will be able to tell for sure whether ice still flows under the Martian surface or not.