Acheron Fossae, a network of deep cracks and valleys on Mars, offers new insights into the planet’s violent past and changing climate. Images from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft reveal the western edge of this geological formation, showcasing its unique features.
Acheron Fossae is an extensive system of deep fault-like cracks, with alternating chunks of raised and lowered ground. The pattern, known as “horst and graben,” was likely created 3.7 billion years ago when hot material rose upwards beneath the Martian crust, stretching and cracking the surface. This process created hundreds of kilometers-long and several kilometers-deep ridges and valleys.
The valley floors are relatively smooth, marked by gently weaving lines reminiscent of a flowing river. These valleys have been filled by a slow, viscous flow of ice-rich rock, similar to rock glaciers on Earth. The Martian rock glaciers act as geological time capsules, preserving evidence of the Martian climatic history.
Mars’s unstable tilt is key to understanding these climate swings. Unlike Earth, Mars wobbles dramatically over time, creating alternating ice ages and warm periods through Milankovitch cycles. These variations indicate that this region has experienced cool and warm periods in its past.
The images also reveal how erosion has transformed the landscape over millions of years. The deep cracks transition into flat, dark lowland plains, with remains of a continuous rock layer slowly worn away by ice and rock flows. This process creates a distinctive transition visible in topographical data, from deeper red tones to lighter blues.
ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, which has been capturing and exploring Mars’s landscapes since 2003, provided the images. The orbiter mapped the planet’s surface in unprecedented detail, color, and three dimensions for over two decades. Features like Acheron Fossae serve as natural laboratories for understanding planetary geology and climate evolution, highlighting that planets are dynamic systems constantly changing over geological time scales.
Understanding these processes will be crucial for future Mars missions, both robotic and human, navigation, resource utilization, and safe exploration of the Martian neighbor.
Source: https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-martian-landscape-reveals-climate-secrets