Scientists have made new discoveries that shed light on one of the Solar System’s greatest mysteries: the Martian dichotomy. Researchers, led by Hrvoje Tkalčić and Weijia Sun, analyzed data from NASA’s Insight lander to determine that the origin of this vast difference between Mars’ southern highlands and northern lowlands lies deep within the planet.
The study found evidence of a temperature difference between the two regions, with the southern highlands being hotter than the northern lowlands. This supports the idea that internal forces on Mars, such as convection in the molten rock, caused the dichotomy.
Previous hypotheses suggested that external factors, like a collision with an asteroid or a moon-sized body, could have created this large-scale contrast. However, the data from Insight lander and other geological observations indicate that internal processes were at play.
The discovery is significant because it provides new insights into Mars’ formation and evolution. Researchers propose that Mars once had moving tectonic plates, which could have formed patterns of convection in the molten rock that explain the dichotomy today.
While more data and models are needed to fully understand the Martian dichotomy, this study marks an important step forward in unraveling the mystery of this fascinating phenomenon.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-martian-dichotomy-red-planets-giant-riddle-finally-solved